Abstract
Mechanistic studies of acute pancreatitis require animal models because clinical material is generally not available during the early phases of the disease. Here we describe a protocol to induce biliary pancreatitis by retrogradely infusing bile acids into the pancreatic duct of anesthetized mice. The resulting model replicates events believed to be responsible for the onset of clinical biliary (i.e., gallstone) pancreatitis and creates highly reproducible pancreatitis with a severity that depends on the concentration of infused bile acid. Pancreatitis reaches its maximal level of severity within 24 h of induction, and it resolves over the subsequent week. This protocol enables the investigator to use genetically modified strains of mice, and it requires only relatively simple and easily learned techniques of small animal surgery. With practice and gentle technique, the surgery (from induction of anesthesia to completion of the infusion) can be completed within 25 min per animal.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by an NIH Grant DM31396 to M.L.S. and by the Sigrid Juselius Foundation Fellowship to J.M.L.
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The surgery was first performed by G.J.D.v.A. and further refined by J.M.L. Surgeries to obtain the pictures in this article were performed by G.P. The surgery in the video was performed by G.J.D.v.A. G.P., J.M.L. and G.J.D.v.A., and M.L.S. evaluated the results. M.L.S. wrote the article and G.J.D.v.A., J.M.L., G.P. and M.L.S. edited it.
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Supplementary Movie
Retrograde pancreatic duct infusion with sodium taurocholate. (WMV 118274 kb)
The movie shows the surgery on a C57Bl mouse.
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Perides, G., van Acker, G., Laukkarinen, J. et al. Experimental acute biliary pancreatitis induced by retrograde infusion of bile acids into the mouse pancreatic duct. Nat Protoc 5, 335–341 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nprot.2009.243
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nprot.2009.243
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