Studies on components of the plasma kallikrein-kinin system in peritoneal fluid and plasma before and during experimental acute pancreatitis in pigs. A preliminary report.

Acute pancreatitis was induced in pigs by retrograde injection of Na-Taurocholate into the pancreatic duct. Using a chromogenic peptide substrate assay, increased plasma kallikrein activity was found in the peritoneal exudate. This finding was paralleled by reduced prekallikrein and functional kallikrein inhibition values. In plasma, however, no changes in the kallikrein-kinin system were found during the 6 hours observation time. These findings emphasize the significance of peritoneal protease-antiprotease imbalance during acute pancreatitis.