The role of Slc26a6 (PAT1) on apical Cl-/HCO3- exchange and bicarbonate secretion in pancreatic duct cells was investigated using Slc26a6 null and wild-type (WT) mice. Apical Cl-/HCO3- exchange activity was measured with the pH-sensitive dye BCECF in microperfused interlobular ducts. The HCO3(-)-influx mode of apical [Cl-]i/[HCO3-]o exchange (where brackets denote concentration and subscripts i...

We have previously shown that chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) strongly inhibits pancreatic ductal HCO3 (-) secretion through the destruction of mitochondrial function, which may have significance in the pathomechanism of acute pancreatitis (AP). Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is known to protect the mitochondria against hydrophobic bile acids and has an ameliorating effect on cell death. Therefore, o...

Purinergic receptors in the basolateral and luminal membranes of the pancreatic duct can act by a feedback mechanism to coordinate transport activity in the two membranes during ductal secretion. The goal of the present work was to identify and localize the functional P2 receptors (P2R) in the rat pancreatic duct. The lack of selective agonists and/or antagonists for any of the cloned P2R dicta...

India ink introduced into the pancreatic ducts of the cat can escape into the interstitium at pressures below the maximum secretory pressure of the pancreas. The ink appears to leave through clefts between the acinar cells.

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) evolved as the diagnostic test of choice evaluating suspected pancreatic tumors. Coupled with fine needle aspiration (FNA), EUS provides high accuracy for the diagnosis and staging of pancreatic cancer. Novel EUS based techniques have emerged as a safe minimally invasive alternative to the surgical or radiological approaches. By allowing better pain control, deliveri...

History and definitions In 1681 Glisson described a sphincter at the end of the common bile duct, which allowed bile to flow intermittently into the duodenum.' Exactly 200 years later, Oddi portrayed the sphincteric mechanism in greater detail,2 but it was not until 1957 that Boyden unravelled the complexity ofthe anatomical sphincter surrounding the terminus of the common bile duct and pancrea...

Rat pancreases were minced and treated with collagenase or collagenase supplemented with chymotrypsin to yield a mixture of ducts, islets, acinar cell clusters, blood vessels, and nerves. Histologically and ultrastructurally, the isolated tissues resembled their in situ counterparts in most respects, the major difference being the destruction of the basement membranes (basal laminae). Ducts ran...