Berberine ameliorates severe acute pancreatitis-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction via a myosin light chain phosphorylation-dependent pathway

Berberine is a traditional drug used to treat gastrointestinal disorders in China and has been demonstrated to attenuate intestinal barrier dysfunction in certain animal models. However, the effects of berberine on pancreatitis-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction are yet to be fully elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the effect of berberine pretreatment on the attenuation of intestinal barrier dysfunction induced by severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). A total of 36 rats were randomly divided into Sham, SAP and SAP plus berberine groups. Pancreatitis was induced using retrograde injection of 3% Na-taurocholate into the pancreatic duct. Histological examinations of the pancreas were performed and intestinal barrier dysfunction was characterized by histological measurements and the assessment of serum diamine oxidase activity and endotoxin levels. Zonula occludens-1 and occludin mRNA and protein expression, as well as myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation, were assessed. SAP rat models were successfully established. Berberine treatment was found to have no significant effect on the histological changes in the pancreas, but was observed to ameliorate the intestinal mucosal barrier damage and membrane permeability associated with SAP. Although berberine exerted minimal effects on tight junction proteins in the ilea of SAP rats, it was observed to significantly inhibit SAP-induced MLC phosphorylation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that berberine attenuates SAP-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction in vivo. In addition, this study shows that the effect of berberine on intestinal barrier function may be associated with the inhibition of SAP-induced upregulation of MLC phosphorylation.