The effect of prostaglandin E2 on ethionine-induced pancreatitis in the rat.

Prostaglandins have been reported to exert a protective effect against short-term experimental pancreatic injury. We evaluated the protective effect of PGE2 using a model designed to maintain pancreatitis over a period of 5-10 days. Acute pancreatitis was induced by daily intraperitoneal injections of DL-ethionine in rats maintained on a protein-free diet. Test periods of 10 and 5 days (parts I and II, respectively) were employed. In parts I and II, PGE2 0.1 microgram/g body wt was given subcutaneously 30 min before ethionine. In part II, a second daily dose of PGE2 0.1 microgram/g body wt was given 7 h after ethionine. PGE2 did not protect against the weight loss, decrease in food consumption, alteration in serum amylase, pancreatic necrosis, or mortality induced by ethionine. This study indicates that the protective effect of PGE2 observed in short-term experimental pancreatitis is not reproducible in a model in which pancreatitis is maintained for 5 and 10 day periods.