Phytochemicals with protective effects against acute pancreatitis: a review of recent literature

CONTEXT: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an acute abdominal inflammatory disease with episodes ranging from mild to fulminant symptoms which could include necrosis, systemic inflammation and multiple organ dysfunction. Increasing experimental evidence demonstrates that specific bioactive ingredients from natural plants have a favourable therapeutic effect on AP. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this review is to summarize the protective effects and potential mechanisms of action of phytochemicals on the attenuation of AP. METHODS: Experimental studies in vivo or in vitro between January 2016 and June 2021 were sought in PubMed and Web of Science using the following search terms: (‘phytochemicals’ OR ‘medicinal plant’ OR ‘traditional medicine’) AND (‘pancreatitis’ OR ‘pancreatic damage’ OR ‘pancreatic injury’). Data concerning the basic characteristics of phytochemicals, therapeutic dose and potential molecular mechanisms related to AP were extracted in this study. RESULTS: A total of 30 phytochemicals with potential therapeutic effects were reviewed and summarized systematically. According to their molecular pathways in AP, the underlying mechanisms of the phytochemicals were illustrated in detail. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The phytochemicals with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant abilities may be efficient candidate drugs for AP treatment. Importantly, more preclinical investigations are needed to illustrate the efficacy of future phytochemicals.