Expression of NF-κB and Occludin in Intestinal Mucosal Barrier During Severe Acute Pancreatitis and Its Clinical Significance

Objective to investigate the expression of NF-κB and occludin in intestinal mucosal barrier during severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and its clinical significance. Method Twenty-four Wistar rats were randomly divided into a normal control group, an SAP group, and a PDTC group. The rats were sacrificed at 24h after modeling, and general appearance of the abdominal cavity, pathological changes of the intestinal mucosa, changes in intestinal mucosal permeability were observed, serum inflammatory factor IL-1 was measured, and expression of tight junction protein occludin in the intestinal epithelial cells were determined by immunohistochemistry. Results Rats of the SAP group showed obvious inflammatory reaction in the abdominal cavity, manifested by enlargement of intestinal tract, intestinal edema, and increased permeability of intestinal barrier, whereas NF-κB inhibitor alleviated intestinal damage and intestinal mucosa edema, upregulated intestinal epithelial tight junction protein occludin, decreased intestinal permeability, and lowered the level of inflammatory factors. Conclusion Impairment of intestinal barrier function during SAP may be associated with increased NF-κB and decreased intestinal tight junction protein occludin; inhibiting NF-kB may alleviate intestinal mucosal barrier dysfunction during SAP.