Effect of Bak Foong Pills on exocrine pancreatic-bile secretion

Abstract

We have recently demonstrated that Bak Foong Pills (BFP), a well-known Chinese medicine widely used for treating gynecological disorders, stimulates human colonic epithelial anion secretion, which was mediated by intracellular cAMP and Ca2+. The present study further investigated the effect of BFP on exocrine pancreatic-bile secretion using in vivo and in vitro approaches. Duodenal infusion of BFP ethanol extract (1 g/kg) in rats produced increases in the volume and protein output of pancreatic-bile juice, but did not affect its pH. Surgical ablation of vagal neural pathway slightly reduced the effect of BFP on the protein output and volume, indicating that the vagal nerve pathway was not the major player in medicating the effect of BFP on exocrine pancreatic-bile secretion. Using CAPAN-1 cell line, a human pancreatic duct cell line, in conjunction with the short-circuit current (ISC) measurements, we further demonstrated that BFP could directly stimulate pancreatic HCO 3- secretion. Basolateral addition of BFP (600 μg/ml) produced averaged charges transported of 2100±382.5 μC/cm2, which was blocked by apical addition of Cl- channel blocker. Removal of HCO3- from the Krebs-Henseleit (K-H) solution inhibited the BFP-induced ISC by more than 95%. The present results suggest that BFP could improve digestive function by stimulating pancreatic protein and HCO3- secretion. © 2003 Pharmaceutical Society of Japan.