OBJECTIVES To examine the effect of inflexinol on the development of acute pancreatitis (AP) and to investigate the mechanisms responsible for the protective effect against AP.

METHODS Acute pancreatitis was induced in mice by intraperitoneal injection of cerulein. Inflexinol was administered intraperitoneally 4 times every 6 hours from 1 hour before the first cerulein injection. Serum amylase activity and histology of the pancreas were measured. Determination of pancreatic nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 expression was conducted by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry to investigate the mechanisms responsible for the inflexinol effects.

RESULTS Serum amylase activity in the cerulein group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Pancreatic histology revealed marked inflammatory changes in the cerulein group such as interstitial edema, vacuolization, necrosis, and infiltration of inflammatory cells; and Western blotting and immunohistochemistry showed marked NF-κB p65 expression. Treatment with inflexinol significantly attenuated the inflammatory changes in pancreatic histology at 24, 48, and 72 hours (P < 0.05). Pancreatic NF-κB p65 expression decreased significantly after inflexinol treatment (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION Inflexinol reduced the severity of cerulein-induced AP by inhibiting NF-κB activation.