Acute Pancreatitis: A Multifaceted Set of Organelle and Cellular Interactions

Abstract

Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory disorder of the exocrine pancreas associated with tissue injury and necrosis. The disease can be mild, involving only the pancreas, and resolve spontaneously within days or severe, with systemic inflammatory response syndrome-associated extrapancreatic organ failure and even death. Importantly, there are no therapeutic agents currently in use that can alter the course of the disease. This article emphasizes emerging findings that stressors (environmental and genetic) that cause acute pancreatitis initially cause injury to organelles of the acinar cell (endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, and endolysosomal-autophagy system), and that disorders in the functions of the organelles lead to inappropriate intracellular activation of trypsinogen and inflammatory pathways. We also review emerging work on the role of damage-associated molecular patterns in mediating the local and systemic inflammatory response in addition to known cytokines and chemokine pathways. In the review, we provide considerations for correction of organelle functions in acute pancreatitis to create a discussion for clinical trial treatment and design options.

Keywords: Acute Pancreatitis; Autophagy; Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns; Endolysosomal System; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress; Macrophage; Mitochondria; Mitophagy; Stimulator of Interferon Genes; Unfolded Protein Response.

Figure 1.

Summary of environmental stressors and genetic factors known to increase the risk for pancreatitis. CFTR, cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator; TFs, transcription factors.