Thalidomide alleviates acute pancreatitis-associated lung injury via down-regulation of NFκB induced TNF-α

AimsWe studied the effect of thalidomide on NFκB-induced TNF-α in acute pancreatitis-associated lung injury in the rat.MethodsRats were intragastrically administered thalidomide (100 mg/kg) daily for 8 days and then acute pancreatitis was induced by retrograde infusion of 5% sodium taurocholate into the rat biliopancreatic duct. Serum amylase (AMY), blood oxygen partial pressure (PaO2), ratios of lung wet/dry weight, and cytoplasmic IκBα and TNF-α protein and nuclear NFκBp65 protein were measured. Also, lung NFκBp65 and TNF-α mRNA were measured.ResultsCompared with the model group, the pathological score of the pancreas and lung, serum AMY, ratios of lung wet/dry weight, and lung NFκBp65 and TNF-α mRNA and protein of rats given thalidomide were decreased significantly (P < 0.01), but PaO2 and IκBα protein was elevated significantly (P < 0.01).ConclusionThalidomide may inhibit TNF-α expression via down-regulation of the NFκB signaling pathway to alleviate acute pancreatitis-associated lung injury in rats.