Prophylactic octreotide reduces the severity of histopathologic changes and hemodynamic shock in early taurodeoxycholate-induced experimental pancreatitis.

: The findings related to the effects of somatostain and octreotide in experimental and clinical acute pancreatitis are so far inconclusive. In this study, we examined the early effects of prophylactic octreotide in acute experimental pancreatitis. Serum levels of amylase and lipase, pancreatic histopathology and systemic hemodynamic profiles, including mean arterial pressure, cardiac index, systemic vascular resistance and heart rate, were evaluated 5 hours after glycodeoxycholic acid (GDOC) or sodium taurodeoxycholate (TDC)-induced pancreatitis with or without prophylactic octreotide (10 micrograms/Kg) in rats, GDOC and TDC induced mild and severe pancreatitis, respectively. Octreotide significantly reduced serum levels of amylase and lipase at 5 hours in GDOC and TDC-induced pancreatitis. Octreotide significantly reduced the severity of pancreatic edema, necrosis and hemorrhage in TDC-induced pancreatitis. In addition, hemodynamic shock in TDC-induced pancreatitis was improved significantly by the administration of octreotide (mean arterial pressure 70.3 +/- 7.7 vs. 95.0 +/- 3.5 mmHg, p < 0.05; cardiac index 16.7 +/- 2.5 vs. 24.0 +/- 5.1 ml.min-1. 100 g-1, p < 0.05). However, octreotide did not show significant beneficial effect in pancreatic histopathology and hemodynamics in GDOC-induced pancreatitis. Thus we conclude that prophylactic octreotide improves pancreatic histopathology and hemodynamic shock in TDC-induced pancreatitis.