Ceruletide (
INN), also known as cerulein or caerulein, is a ten amino acid
oligopeptide that stimulates
smooth muscle
Smooth muscle is an involuntary non-striated muscle, so-called because it has no sarcomeres and therefore no striations (''bands'' or ''stripes''). It is divided into two subgroups, single-unit and multiunit smooth muscle. Within single-unit mus ...
and increases digestive secretions. Ceruletide is similar in action and composition to
cholecystokinin. It stimulates gastric, biliary, and pancreatic secretion; and certain smooth muscle. It is used in paralytic ileus and as diagnostic aid in pancreatic malfunction. It is used to induce
pancreatitis in experimental animal models.
Ceruletide was discovered and its structure elucidated in 1967 by Australian and Italian scientists from dried skins of the
Australian green tree frog (''Ranoidea caerulea'', formerly ''Hyla caerulea''). Its amino acid sequence is Pglu-Gln-Asp-Tyr
O3HThr-Gly-Trp-Met-Asp-Phe-NH
2.
Induction of pancreatitis
Ceruletide upregulates pancreatic
acinar cell intercellular adhesion molecule-1
Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) are a subset of cell surface proteins that are involved in the binding of cells with other cells or with the extracellular matrix (ECM), in a process called cell adhesion. In essence, CAMs help cells stick to each ...
(ICAM-1) proteins through intracellular upregulation of
NF-κB. Surface ICAM-1 in turn promotes neutrophil adhesion onto acinar cells enhancing pancreatic
inflammation. In addition to promoting the inflammatory cell reaction to acinar cells, ceruletide induces pancreatitis through dysregulation of digestive enzyme production and cytoplasmic vacuolization, leading to acinar cell death and pancreatic edema. Ceruletide also activates
NADPH oxidase, a source of reactive oxygen species contributing to inflammation, as well as the
Janus kinase/signal transducer, another inflammation inducer.
See also
*
Pancreatitis
References
{{Diagnostic agents
Peptides