Current evidence suggests that alterations within acinar cells are responsible for the development of acute pancreatitis. After inducing acute pancreatitis in rats by pancreatic duct obstruction, we analysed, using flow cytometry, the progressive changes in cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations in individual acinar cells from the earliest stages to 48 h after obstruction to investigate whether parallel alterations in the homoeostasis of Ca2+ could be defined in the different acinar cells throughout the evolution of pancreatitis. Morphological alterations of the pancreas, related to the severity of the disease at different stages, were observed by electron microscopy.
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