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Objectives: Investigating the ameliorative effects of melatonin on cytokine levels, apoptosis, and NF-κB immunoreactivity in rats with cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis., Materials and Methods: Thirthy-two Wistar Albino rats were divided into four groups: Control group which didn't undergo acute pancreatitis induction and was left without treatment, pancreatitis group in which the acute pancreatitis was induced by 2 successive intraperitoneal doses of cerulein at a 2-hour interval (50 µg/kg and then 25 µg/kg), melatonin-treated pancreatitis group which was intraperitoneally administrated with 50 mg/kg of melatonin, 30 min before each cerulein injection, and melatonin group which was intraperitoneally administrated with 2 successive doses of melatonin (50 mg/kg each) at a 2-hour interval. Pancreatic tissue and blood samples were taken from animals of all groups. IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-10 levels were determined in blood samples. Apoptosis was determined by the TUNEL assay and the NF-κB was detected immunohistochemically in acinar cells of the exocrine pancreatic portion., Results: IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-10 levels in the acute pancreatitis group were significantly increased when compared to the control negative group. IL-1β and TNF-α levels in the melatonin-treated pancreatitis group were significantly lower than those of the acute pancreatitis group. While number of apoptotic cells and percentage of NF-κB immunopositive cells in the acute pancreatitis group were significantly increased compared to other groups and it was observed that these parameters were significantly reduced in the melatonin-treated pancreatitis group compared to the acute pancreatitis group., Conclusion: These findings suggest that melatonin administration can significantly reduce the severity of acute pancreatitis in rats., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the possible embryotoxic effects of propofol, a general anaesthetic agent that is commonly used in clinical practice, on peripheral blood lymphocytes using enzyme histochemical techniques., Methods: For this purpose, 430 laying hen fertile eggs were used for this study. The eggs were divided into 5 groups as control, solvent-control (saline), 2.5 mg kg-1 propofol, 12.5 mg kg-1 propofol, and 37.5 mg kg-1 propofol, and injections were performed via the air sac just before the incubation. The peripheral blood alpha naphthyl acetate esterase and acid phosphatase-positive lymphocyte ratios were determined on the hatching day., Results: No statistically significant difference was found between both alpha naphthyl acetate esterase and acid phosphatase-positive lymphocyte ratios of the control and solvent-control groups. However, when compared with the control and solvent-control groups, statistically significant decreases were observed in the peripheral blood alpha naphthyl acetate esterase and acid phosphatase-positive lymphocyte ratios of the chicks from the propofol-injected groups. Besides, the difference between 2.5 mg kg-1 and 12.5 mg kg-1 propofol groups is not significant, whereas the difference between these 2 groups and the 37.5 mg kg-1 propofol group was statistically significant (P < .05)., Conclusions: It was concluded that propofol given to fertilised chicken eggs just before incubation caused significant decreases in both the peripheral blood alpha naphthyl acetate esterase and acid phosphatase-positive lymphocyte ratios.