Exploring Promising Treatments for Acute Pancreatitis in Rats: Mesenchymal Stem Cells vs. Rosmarinic Acid - A Histological and Immunohistochemical Comparison

Background: Acute pancreatitis (AP) remains a potentially fatal disease with limited effective therapies. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exhibit antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties, while Rosmarinic acid (RA) has anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective effects. Objective: This study aimed to evaluated their therapeutic potential in experimental AP. Methods: Forty-one male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into four groups: Control (I), L-arginine–induced AP (II), L-arginine + RA (50 mg/kg, i.p., once) (III), and L-arginine + MSCs (1×10⁶ cells/ml, i.v.) (IV). Assessments included serum amylase, TNF-α, and IL-10 levels, histopathology, and immunohistochemistry for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS).
Results: Both RA and MSCs significantly reduced serum amylase and TNF-α and increased IL-10 compared to AP rats. MSCs produced the greatest improvements, though differences between groups III and IV were not statistically significant. Histologically, RA preserved acinar architecture with moderate protection, while MSCs restored near-normal pancreatic structure, reduced apoptosis and necrosis, enhanced PCNA expression, and markedly decreased iNOS reactivity.
Conclusions: RA and MSCs both demonstrated therapeutic benefits in arginine-induced AP, with MSCs showing superior efficacy in biochemical, histological, and immunohistochemical outcomes. MSCs appear more effective than RA in attenuating inflammation and promoting pancreatic repair, warranting further investigation into their mechanisms and potential clinical application.