Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Dexmedetomidine reduces inflammation in mice with acute pancreatitis by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome and sympathetic nerve activity

Yanjun Gao¹, JinHui Xie², Ruobin Liu¹, Yue Li³, Wenjun Yan¹ ,

¹Department of Anesthesiology, Gansu People's Hospital; ²Department of Ultrasound, Gansu People's Hospital, Lanzhou; ³Department of Digestion, The First Hospital Affiliated to ShanXi Medical University, Taiyuan, PR China.

For correspondence:- Wenjun Yan Email: qzyk59@163.com

Accepted: 26 April 2020 Published: 31 May 2020

Citation: Gao Y, Xie J, Liu R, Li Y, Yan W, Dexmedetomidine reduces inflammation in mice with acute pancreatitis by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome and sympathetic nerve activity. Trop J Pharm Res 2020; 19(5):943-947 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v19i5.5

© 2020 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To study the anti-inflammatory influence of dexmedetomidine (DEX) in mice with acute pancreatitis (AP), and to determine the underlying mechanism.

Methods: A total of 75 healthy ICR male mice were randomly divided into control, mild acute pancreatitis (MAP), MAP+DEX, severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), and SAP+DEX groups, with 15 mice/group. Blood levels of inflammatory factors (TNF-α and IL-1β) and norepinephrine were assayed in each group. Western blotting was used to assay the protein expressions of NLRP3 and norepinephrine transporter (NET) in the pancreatic tissue of each group.

Results: The levels of inflammatory factors in the MAP+DEX group were markedly lower than those in the MAP group after 10 h of MAP induction (p < 0.01). Mice in MAP+DEX group had significantly lower expression of NLRP3 in pancreatic tissue, and significantly higher NET protein level, relative to the MAP mice. Following 10 h of SAP, concentrations of the inflammatory factors and the pancreatic expression of NLRP3 were lower in SAP+DEX-treated mice than in SAP mice, while NET protein was significantly higher in SAP mice (p < 0.01).

Conclusion: DEX reduces the expressions of inflammation-related factors TNF-α and IL-1β, and inhibits inflammatory response in mice with AP via downregulation of NET protein expression via inhibition of NLRP3 and early sympathetic events.

Keywords: Dexmedetomidine, NLRP3 inflammasome, Sympathetic nerve, Acute pancreatitis, Inflammatory response