Involvement of Nuclear Factor Kappa B in High-Fat Diet-Related Pancreatic Fibrosis in Rats

Background/Aims: High-fat diets contribute to pancreatic fibrogenesis, but the pathogenesis remains unclear. This study investigated the role of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) in high-fat diet-induced pancreatic fibrosis in rats. Methods: Male Wistar rats were fed a high-fat diet or standard normal chow for 20 weeks. Pancreatic fibrosis was determined by Sirius red staining. Immunohistochemical staining, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to identify NF-kappa B-associated genes or protein expressions. Results: Inflammation, fat deposition, pancreatic stellate cell activation and fibrosis were observed in the pancreases of the high-fat diet group. NF-kappa B subunit p65 (NF-kappa B/p65) expression was localized to the nucleus, and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) was over-expressed. Pancreatic gene expression levels of NF-kappa B/p65, ICAM-1 and tumor necrosis factor alpha were all elevated significantly in rats fed a high-fat diet compared with control rats. Western blotting also revealed significantly increased levels of ICAM-1 and nuclear NF-kappa B/p65 in rats fed high-fat diets comparison with control rats. Conclusions: NF-kappa B is involved in high-fat diet-related pancreatic fibrosis. (Gut Liver 2012;6:381-387)