Quantitation of nuclear factor kappa B activation in pancreatic acinar cells during rat acute pancreatitis by flow cytometry

This study aimed to develop a specific and sensitive method for the rapid detection of NF-κB activity in pancreatic tissue. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups: (1) 16 rats in the acute pancreatitis (AP) group received retrograde injection of 5% sodium taurocholate (STC) into the biliopancreatic duct, and (2) 16 rats in the Control group received saline. NF-κB activation in rat pancreatic acinar cells was assessed by flow cytometry (FCM). We found that the NF-κB activity in the AP group significantly increased at 1.5 h (29.80%±7.83), had a peak at 3 h (65.17%±13.22), and then decreased gradually to 12 h time point, close to the level after 1.5 h stimulation of STC. The NF-κB activity of the Control group did not significantly vary at different time points (P>0.05). FCM is a specific and sensitive assay for the rapid detection of NF-κB activity in pancreatic tissue.