Blockade of the Protease ADAM17 Ameliorates Experimental Pancreatitis

Acute and chronic pancreatitis, the latter associated with fibrosis, are multifactorial inflammatory disorders and leading causes of gastrointestinal disease-related hospitalisation, including death. Despite the global health burden of pancreatitis, currently there are no effective therapeutic agents. In this regard, the protease A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase 17 (ADAM17) mediates inflammatory responses through shedding of bioactive inflammatory cytokines and mediators, including tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) and the soluble interleukin (IL)-6 receptor (sIL-6R), the latter of which drives proinflammatory IL-6 trans-signalling. However, the role of ADAM17 in pancreatitis is unclear. To address this, Adam17ex/ex mice – which are homozygous for the hypomorphic Adam17ex allele resulting in marked reduction in ADAM17 expression – and their wild-type (WT) littermates were exposed to the cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis model, and acute (1-week) and chronic (20-weeks) pancreatitis models induced by the cigarette smoke carcinogen nicotine-derived nitrosamine ketone (NNK). Our data reveal that ADAM17 expression was upregulated in pancreatic tissues of animal models of pancreatitis. Moreover, the genetic (Adam17ex/ex mice) and therapeutic (ADAM17 prodomain inhibitor; A17pro) targeting of ADAM17 ameliorated experimental pancreatitis, which was associated with a reduction in the IL-6 trans-signalling/STAT3 axis. This led to reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, including T cells and neutrophils, as well as necrosis and fibrosis in the pancreas. Furthermore, upregulation of the ADAM17/IL-6 trans-signalling/STAT3 axis was a feature of pancreatitis patients. Collectively, our findings indicate that the ADAM17 protease plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of pancreatitis, which could pave the way for devising novel therapeutic options to be deployed against this disease. RNA transcriptome sequencing to profile the differential regulation of gene networks in pancreatic tissues of WT and Adam17ex/ex mice subjected to cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis (AP) and compared to PBS controls.