الفهرس 
The Pancreas
Preparation for TEMOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Introduction: chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a progressive inflammatory disease affecting mainly the exocrine pancreas. It is a serious disease that can lead to many complications. It is difficult to be diagnosed due to its variable clinical presentations.
Aim: This study was designed to investigate the effects of experimentally induced CP on the histological structure of hepatocytes and duodenal mucosa in adult male albino rats.
Materials and methods: 30 adult male albino rats were used. They were divided into two groups. Group I: (control group) included 10 rats. Group II: (CP Group) included 20 rats that received intraperitoneal injections, of freshly prepared L-arginine solution at a dose of 500 mg/ 100 gram (g) body weight (bw), five times at three days intervals. Then the rats were sub divided into two sub groups: IIa and IIb that were scarified 30 and 60 days after the first injection of L-arginine respectively. At the end of experiment blood samples were collected. Pancreas, liver and duodenum were also collected. Pancreas was examined by light microscope to prove the occurrence of CP. The liver was examined by the light microscope and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The duodenum was examined by light microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM).
Results: Pancreas revealed progressive replacement of pancreatic acini by fat cells. Examination of liver showed vacuolar degeneration of hepatocytes that appeared by TEM to be fat droplets. Serum AST and ALT were significantly increased. Examination of duodenal villi revealed enteritis. SEM examination revealed fusion of some villi and loss of boundaries between enterocytes. These changes were more pronounced in group IIb.
Conclusions:
It was concluded that CP produced fat accumulation in the hepatocytes and inflammatory structural changes in the duodenal villi. These findings occurred after 30 day of induction of CP and progressively increased at 60 days.
Key words: pancreatitis, liver, duodenum, electron microscopy, L-arginine, rats.