Acute Pancreatitis: A Brief Introduction of the Pathology

Abstract

Acute pancreatitis is constituted by autodigestion of the pancreas. This autodigestion is a unique occurrence in human pathology. The problem is that the pancreas is a gland weighing 100 g and producing quite a lot of active proteolytic, lipolytic, and amylolytic enzymes which do not accomplish their purpose until they reach the small intestine. A system of protective mechanisms is therefore needed to defend the pancreas against its own enzymes. This protection is maintained intracellularly by inactive precursors, in the tissue by the mucous film on the surface of the duct epithelium, and last, but not least, by the free and immediate discharge of pancreatic juice. Should pancreatic juice enter the circulating blood, it encounters a potent system of enzyme inhibitors. The intrinsic cell metabolism is the most important protective mechanism, producing a one-way permeability and thus preventing the return of the secreted products into the glandular epithelial cells.