Experimental study on the effect of zotepine on pancreatic injury in rats with acute pancreatitis by regulating the IL-17 signaling pathway

Objective To investigate the effect of zotepine on pancreatic injury in acute pancreatitis (AP) and its related mechanism of action.Methods A total of 18 SPF-grade male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into Sham group, AP group and AP + zotepine group, with 6 rats in each group. The AP model was induced by sodium taurocholate. The AP + zotepine group was treated with zotepine 2 hours before and after modeling. Tissue and blood samples were collected 24 hours after surgery. The levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and amylase activity in serum were measured. HE staining was used to assess the pathological changes in pancreatic tissue. Western blot was employed to detect the expression of proteins related to the IL-17 signaling pathway in the pancreas.Results Compared with the Sham group, rats in the AP group showed significant pancreatic edema, inflammatory cell infiltration, and acinar cell necrosis, along with significantly elevated levels of amylase, related inflammatory factors, and IL-17 pathway proteins (P < 0.05). Following Zotepine intervention, the pancreatic tissue damage in rats was relatively alleviated, and the levels of amylase, related inflammatory factors, and IL-17 pathway proteins were significantly decreased (P < 0.05).Conclusion Zotepine exerts a protective effect against AP by inhibiting the IL-17 signaling pathway.