Astragaloside IV ameliorates acute pancreatitis in rats by inhibiting the activation of nuclear factor-κB

This study aimed to investigate the effects of astragaloside IV (AS-IV; 3-O-β-D-xylopyranosyl-6-O-β-D-glucopyranosylcycloastragenol), which has been reported to have comprehensive pharmacological functions, on sodium taurocholate (NaTc)/L-arginine (L-Arg)-induced acute pancreatitis (AP) in rats in vivo and in rat pancreatic acinar cells in vitro. NaTc-induced experimental AP was induced in rats by injecting 4% NaTc (0.1 ml/100 g) in the retrograde direction of the biliopancreatic duct. L-Arg-induced experimental AP was induced in rats by 2 intraperitoneal injections of 20% L-arg (3 g/kg), with an interval of 1 h between the injections. The rats were pre-treated AS-IV (50 mg/kg) or the vehicle (DMSO) 2 h prior to the induction of AP. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, H&E staining, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR, western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate the effects of AS-IV on AP. The results revealed that treatment with AS-IV significantly reduced serum amylase and lipase levels, pancreatic pathological alterations, the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, MPO activity, and the protein expression of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in vivo. Moreover, pre-treatment with AS-IV significantly increased the expression levels of manganese superoxide dismutase and cuprum/zinc superoxide dismutase. In the in vitro experiment, treatment of the cells with AS-IV aslo reduced rat pancreatic acinar cell necrosis and nuclear NF-κB activity, and enhanced the protein expression of superoxide dismutase. In conclusion, this study indicates that the protective effects of AS-IV on experimental AP in rats may be closely related to the inhibition of NF-κB. In addition, our results indicate that AS-IV may exert potential antioxidant effects on AP. Therefore, AS-IV may be an effective therapeutic agent for AP.