Dihydrodiosgenin protects against experimental acute pancreatitis and associated lung injury through mitochondrial protection and PI3Kγ/Akt inhibition

Background and Purpose Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a painful and distressing disorder of the exocrine pancreas with no specific treatment. Diosgenyl saponins extracted from from Dioscorea zingiberensis C. H. Wright have been reported to protect against experimental models of AP. Diosgenin, or its derivatives are anti‐inflammatory in various conditions. However, the effects of diosgenin and its spiroacetal ring opened analogue, dihydrodiosgenin (Dydio), on AP have not been determined.