| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
TSUJIKAWA Tomoyuki Shiga University of Medical Science, Department of Internal Medicine, Instructor, 医学部, 助手 (80273407)
ANDOH Akira Shiga University of Medical Science, Department of Internal Medicine, Instructor, 医学部, 助手 (90252395)
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| Research Abstract |
The complement system is a potent effector of the normal immune and inflammatory responses. Invasion by microorganisms, combined with a reflux of duodenal contents, may be important factors in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic pancreatitis. However, little is known about the mechanism underlying the immunologic protection of the exocrine pancreas.
The secretory IgA system has been shown to be present in pancreatic fluids. In addition, we found that several complement proteins are secreted into pancreatic juices. From our results, complement C3, C4 and factor B are present in pancreatic juice at high concentration. Furthermore, several pancreatic cancer cell lines are secreting these complement proteins in responses to IL-1β, TNF-α and IFN-γ suggesting that ductal epithelial cells are possible biosynthetic site of complement proteins. We also tried to detect complement mRNA expression in situ. Although in situ hybridization in the pancreatic tissue is difficult, we detected complement mRNA expression in some samples. In addition, we observed high mRNA expression in some samples of chronic pancreatitis. When comparing the complement levels in pancreatic juices between normal and chronic pancreatitis, we detect high amounts of C3 in samples of chronic pancreatitis. Thus, our investigation presented a possibility that determination of complement proteins in pancreatic juices is useful to evaluate disease activity, such as chronic pancreatitis.
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