Articles

Pancreaticoduodenal Lymph Flow and Lipase Activity in Acute Experimental Pancreatitis

---

Abstract

Activity of the pancreatic digestive enzymes in thoracic duct lymph has been shown to increase in man after pancreatic stimulation by secretin (3, 5), impaired passage of the pancreatic juice into the duodenum (5), surgical trauma to the pancreas (5) and in the dog following ligation of the excretory ducts of the pancreas ( 4, 13, 16, l 7, l 9), enhancement of pancreatic secretion (1, 10, 19, 23) and injection of bile (6, 7, 18, 19) and trypsin (20, 21) into the pancreas. Thus, pancreatic secretion has a lymphatic pathway through which enzymes are continuously delivered into the thoracic duct.

Lymphatic drainage of pancreatic digestive enzymes is implicated in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatic necrosis, as occlusion of the thoracic duct and secretory ducts of the pancreas in dogs leads to necrosis of this organ and augments the extension of the necrosis of adipose tissue adjacent to the pancreas (16). It has also been suggested that lymphatic drainage from the thoracic duct is of therapeutic benefit in experimental acute pancreatitis (20, 21) as well as in acute (3) and subacute (4) and chronic (3) pancreatitis in man. It has been shown that pH of the pancreatic tissue in the rabbit is higher than in other tissues (8).

Determination of thoracic duct lymph flow and enzyme activity allows only indirect conclusions to be drawn as to the changes in pancreatic lymph flow in acute pancreatitis. Accordingly in the present work, the values of acid-base balance in the pancreaticoduodenal lymph were studied in dogs with and without anesthesia, as well as the effect of acute pancreatitis on flow and lipase activity of pancreaticoduodenal lymph.

How to Cite:

Papp, M., Nemeth, E. & Horvath, E., (1971) “Pancreaticoduodenal Lymph Flow and Lipase Activity in Acute Experimental Pancreatitis”, Lymphology 4(2), 48-53.