Acute experimental pancreatitis and NF-kappaB/Rel activation.

Acute pancreatitis is a serious disease with a high morbidity and an overall mortality rate of about 10%. However, in its most severe form, which is characterized by pancreatic necrosis, 20-30% of the patients die. Death is often the result of multiorgan dysfunction, including acute respiratory, kidney, and hepatic failure as well as generalized diffuse capillary leak water retention, hypoxia, and acid/base disturbance. The mechanisms by which distant organ systems are involved still remain obscure, but several lines of evidence suggest the participation of cytokines (IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-alpha) as a response to local tissue damage. A series of studies have now shed new light on the pivotal pathogenic role of the transcription factor NF-kappaB/Rel that binds to the promoter regions of many proinflammatory genes and regulates their transcription.