Free fatty acids in human pure pancreatic juice.

Human pure pancreatic juice (PPJ) and serum were analyzed for free fatty acids (FFAs) to study whether the damage to pancreatic cell membranes in pancreatitis is reflected as abnormal FFAs concentration and composition. Patients consisted of 13 normal controls, 7 patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) in remission, and 27 with chronic pancreatitis (CP). PPJ was collected at 2-min intervals after secretin and then cholecystokininpancreozymin stimulation by endoscopic cannulation of the pancreas. The following results were obtained: (a) serum FFAs concentration and composition showed no significant difference between the three groups. (b) FFAs concentration in PPJ was significantly raised in CP through all secretory phases. The rise was significant only in "secretin phase" in AP. In many of the cases with raised FFAs concentration in PPJ, the FFAs composition was similar to that in serum. (c) Arachidonic acid, undetected in normal PPJ, was disproportionately high in concentration and composition in PPJ of eight patients with CP. Two mechanisms were proposed to explain these abnormalities: transudation of serum FFAs into the pancreatic duct and local production of arachidonic acid as a result of the damage to pancreatic cell membranes.