Effect of somatostatin analogue on experimental pancreatic lesions and their sequelae

The authors examined the effect of long acting somatostatin analogue (Sandostatin, Sandoz) on acute experimental pancreatitis and on the subsequent regeneration. Acute injury to the pancreas was produced by an intraductal intervention (ligature of the bile duct and intraductal injection of taurocholic acid) and by a metabolic route (supramaximal dose of caerulein by repeated subcutaneous injections). The effect of the drug on the acute injury was examined at 6 and 24 hours following the intervention and the effect on regeneration was examined on day 3 and 5 in all cases by determination of plasma enzyme levels and examination of the pancreatic tissue. Long acting somatostatin analogue did not prove to be effective in the serious acute pancreatitis produced by the intraductal intervention. However, in the acute phase of the caerulein induced pancreatitis, it had a beneficial effect as seen by it's ability to moderate the serum enzyme levels. During the examination of pancreatic regeneration was found that in caerulein induced pancreatitis the weight of the pancreas decreases due to atrophy and that this was not affected by long acting somatostatin analogue. As a matter of fact, the somatostatin counteracted the caerulein induced DNA increase, and therefore acted against the reactive hyperplasia. Therefore, the favorable effect of long acting somatostatin analogue is witnessed only in the caerulein induced acute injury but it does not accelerate the rate of pancreatic regeneration following injury. Due to this fact, protracted administration of this agent can not be rationalized.