Oxidative stress in acute pancreatitis

Abstract

This chapter presents current evidence on the role of oxidative stress and antioxidant status in acute pancreatitis. In vitro studies demonstrate that protein phosphatases may play important role in the interaction between reactive oxygen species and proinflammatory cytokines in acute pancreatitis. In vivo studies report that several natural compounds ameliorate oxidative stress and, therefore, have therapeutic potential. In clinical studies, the developments are less spectacular and mainly limited to evaluation of different markers of oxidative stress and antioxidant status in the course of disease. The progress in clinical research on antioxidants in acute pancreatitis is hampered by several factors, including suboptimal classification of acute pancreatitis and route of administration used.