Aggravation of acute pancreatitis by heparan sulfate in mice.

Objective. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is responsible for pancreatitis-associated mortality, but its initiating events are poorly understood. Possible candidates may be endogenous substances, which have previously been shown to mediate inflammatory responses. The aim of this study was to investigate whether SIRS could be exaggerated by heparan sulfate (HS) in acute pancreatitis (AP). Material and methods. AP was induced in mice by cerulein injection and HS was administered one hour after the final cerulein injection. The severity of pancreatitis was assessed by serum amylase activity, pancreatic edema, and pancreatic myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. Systemic inflammation was evaluated by assessing lung injury and by measuring serum levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6. Cytokine levels were also measured in pancreas and lung tissues. Results. HS did not worsen the pancreatic injury induced by cerulein. In contrast, HS exacerbated the systemic inflammation as meas...