Abstract
An experimental pathological study was undertaken to investigate acute pancreatitis for the purpose of elucidating the process of development from its early stage. Scorpion venom, which is known to cause the hyperamylasemia, was injected intravenously into 16 rabbits (8 groups) and was also hypodermicaly injected into 26 guinea-pigs (4 groups) . Biochemical, histopathological and electronmicroscopical studies were carried out on pancreas, salivary gland, blood serum and urine. In contrast, experiments using various kinds of pancreastic stimulants were carried out. Serum and urine amylase levels increase proportionally, with increase in the amount of scorpion venom injected, and in the amylase isozyme pattern, salivary-type isoamylase rose by a maxima of 3 to 8. By injecting scorpion venom into rabbits and guinea-pigs, various degrees of degenerative changes, from edematic change to vacuolar formations of pancreatic acinar cells were observed. Electron-microscopically, it was observed that degenerative changes in rough endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria, and the vacuolar formation of cytoplasm occurred. In other organs, salivary glands acinar cells showed degenerative changes. In cases where the degree of the degenerative change in pancreatic acinar cells was high, the serum and urine amylase levels were twice to six times higher than normal. It is confirmed that injecting scorpion venom into rabbits and guinea-pigs caused pancreatic and salivary glands cell disturbance, with hypersecretion mainly composed of degenerative changes. According to the classification of the pancreatic disturbance in our group, it corresponded to the degenerative-type, namely, acute parenchymatous pancreatitis. In cases of intravenous injection, the influence of scorpion venom on the pancreas was sudden hypersecretion and chiefly by the disturbance of acinar cells. And in cases of hypodermic injection, that influence was considered to be the process of cell fatigue caused by hyperfunction with the long-lasting secretion. It is supposed that both effects are histological expressions of acute pancreatitis.
