Mechanisms of damage of acinar pancreatic cells in acute alcohol pancreatitis

The review analyzes the current data on the main mechanisms of toxic effects of alcohol and its metabolites on pancreatic acinar cells in acute pancreatitis. It is shown that the mechanisms of cellular damage are multicomponent and closely linked by the regulatory factors of the molecular level. At the early stage of the disease, they lead to the following structural and functional changes in acinar cells that promote the premature intracellular trypsinogen activation and autoaggression: sustained rise of cytosolic Ca2+ and excess of mitochondrial matrix Ca2+; destabilization due to lysosomes and zymogen granules; debective autophagy; mitochondrial depolarization; decreased ATP production and necrosis.