DIETARY MODULATION OF ALCOHOL-INDUCED PANCREATIC INJURY

This is a review of current progress in studies of alcohol-induced pancreatic injury using the rat intragastric ethanol infusion model. This model has been shown to reproduce the histopathologic characteristics of human ethanol-related pancreatic disease in a rodent model. A high fat liquid diet infused with ethanol potentiated the histologic and cellular effects of ethanol on the exocrine pancreas when compared to a low fat diet-ethanol infusion. Hypogranulation and apoptosis of pancreatic acinar cells are proposed as precursor lesions induced by ethanol leading to the subsequent development of acinar atrophy. A reduction in acinar cell sensitivity and responsiveness to cholecystokinin (CCK) is documented and proposed as a mechanism for the development of regressive changes through a reduction in the trophic effect of CCK.