[Acute pancreatitis--a free radical disease. Decrease in fatality with sodium selenite (Na2SeO3) therapy].

Malonic dialdehyde as an indirect marker of the lipid peroxidation was found increased in the acute pancreatitis compared with persons of the same age and sex. Its concentrations inversely correlated to those of the serum calcium during the course of the disease and additionally they proved to be indicator of the prognosis. Postulating that the acute pancreatitis must be a "free radical disease", in a randomized clinical study the adjuvant therapy of the acute necrotizing pancreatitis (n = 8) with sodium selenite was carried out in a daily dose of 500 micrograms. The lethality of the control group was 89% (8 out of altogether 9 patients), no patient died in the therapy group. By the selenium therapy within 24 hours a normalization of the serum calcium and a decrease of the increased MDA-values could be achieved. It was concluded that by selenium increased activities of the phospholipid-hydroperoxide-glutathione peroxidase were induced, by means of which a peroxidation protection of membrane fatty acids, an inhibition of the activity of phospholipase A2 and an interruption of the arachidonic acid cascade must have been reached.