Alcoholic pancreatitis patients with continued alcohol intake may finally have therapeutic options (Urolithin A)

Medical Xpress / Univ. of Miami / Am. Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology ^ | Oct. 24, 2022 | Siddharth Mehra et al

[ConservativeMind]

Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas often associated with long-term alcohol consumption. Recurrent attacks of acute pancreatitis results in chronic pancreatitis, causing weight loss, pain, diabetes, and even pancreatic cancer.

Excessive alcohol consumption is associated with 40–70% of pancreatitis cases.

With repeated episodes of binge drinking the pancreas eventually builds up scar tissues with persistent inflammation, weakening its endocrine and exocrine functions needed to digest food and regulate blood sugar levels. This chronic insult to the organ can cause excruciating pain, malnutrition, diabetes, and death.

Accumulating scientific evidence suggests that continued alcohol consumption with established alcoholic pancreatitis instigates irreversible pancreatic damage due to recurrent episodes of acute pancreatitis by fostering a continuous fibro-inflammatory microenvironment within the pancreas.

"Using an established alcoholic pancreatitis mice model, we have addressed two of the major unanswered questions with regards to the pathogenesis of pancreatitis. We've characterized the pancreas-specific signaling pathways in this process and determined if utilizing novel therapeutic agents can attenuate the severity of alcoholic pancreatitis progression, despite continued alcohol triggers" said Siddharth Mehra, Ph.D.

The microbiome has been implicated in gastrointestinal inflammation as a critical mediator of overall gut health. Urolithin A is a natural compound synthesized by gut bacteria from ingested ellagitannins, a class of hydrolyzable tannins found mainly in pomegranate, berries, and nuts. Previous work from the group has shown that Urolithin A is a potent anti-inflammatory agent in several pre-clinical disease models and exhibits anti-tumor activity in gastrointestinal cancers.

"Our studies have demonstrated that Urolithin A is well tolerated and does not elicit any adverse toxic effects at clinically relevant doses in mice," says Dr. Nagathihalli. The FDA recognizes Urolithin A as a "safe dietary supplement."

"We have shown that Urolithin A can help improve the effectiveness of treating alcoholic pancreatitis despite continued alcohol intake," said Dr. Mehra.

[HenpeckedCon]

I went to the Urgent Care Center with terrible gut pain. They diagnosed it from the symptoms. The first thing they asked me was if I drank alcohol. I believe they send me for a CT scan? I definitely had one but I don’t recall if it was for the pancreatitis? I told them how much beer I drank every day and their diagnosis was acute pancreatitis. I quit drinking completely and have not had anymore problems. If you’re a drinker I would suggest you quit.