Studies on porcine pancreatic elastase activity. II. Immunoreactive elastase level during acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis in pigs.

Acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis was produced in pig to study serum concentration of elastase and its physiological role. Pancreatitis was induced in two groups of young pigs by the injection of autologous bile. One group was injected with autologous bile (0.5 ml/kg) at high pressure, and the second group was injected as low pressure (100 cm H2O). Then femoral blood, portal blood and thoracic lymph were sampled at scheduled time intervals. The control level of immunoreactive elastase was around 90 ng/ml in each site, which significantly increased beginning 15 min after bile injection; the level of immunoreactive elastase was higher in the thoracic lymph duct than in the femoral and portal vein. The total and free elastase of both groups in pancreatic tissue were significantly decreased in pancreatitis, and an abundance of immunoreactive elastase was found in the ascites. The increasing pattern of immunoreactive elastase and amylase after bile injection was very similar. Therefore, the level of immunoreactive elastase was considered to be inadequate to determine the grade of severity of pancreatitis as well as the level of amylase which is already known.