Protective Effects of Sivelestat in a Caerulein-Induced Rat Acute Pancreatitis Model

In the present study, we investigated the protective effects of sivelestat on acute pancreatitis (AP) in a rat model. Sivelestat is a specific neutrophil elastase inhibitor, which has been developed in Japan in 1991. Varying doses of sivelestat in normal saline were infused continuously in sivelestat-treated groups through osmotic pumps. Blood and pancreas samples were collected for serological and histopathological studies, and ten rats in each group were taken for survival observation. Increasing doses of sivelestat inhibits the expression of lipase, amylase, corticosterone, IL-1β, TNF-α, and nuclear factor–κB. Furthermore, sivelestat reduces the inflammatory cells infiltration, histological damage, and mortality rate. Meanwhile, the total antioxidant power and serum level of IL-4 in high-dose sivelestat-treated groups were increased. Our findings suggest that the increasing doses of sivelestat protect against caerulein-induced AP in rats, and this protection is possibly associated with the anti-inflammatory ability of sivelestat.