Thalidomide Inhibits Adhesion Molecules in Experimental Acute Pancreatitis-Associated Lung Injury.

Preclinical Research The study evaluated the effect of thalidomide on adhesion molecule expression in acute pancreatitis-associated lung injury in rats. Acute pancreatitis was induced in rats by retrograde infusion of 5% sodium taurocholate into the bile-pancreatic duct, and thalidomide (100 mg/kg) was given daily by intragastric route for 8 days before this treatment. Serum lipase (LPS), protein levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSHpx), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in lung were measured. Compared with the acute pancreatitis- group, lung histopathology, serum LPS, protein levels in BALF, SOD, GSHpx, and MDA levels, and the expression levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and E-selectin mRNA and protein in rats given thalidomide were improved (P < 0.01). Thus, thalidomide may reduce the expression of adhesion molecules via inhibition of oxidative stress to alleviate acute pancreatitis-associated lung injury in a rat model. Drug Dev Res, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.