Progress in the role of ductal pathways in the pathogenesis of chronic pancreatitis

Abstract

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a progressive fibrotic pancreatic disease influenced by multiple factors such as genetic and environmental factors. Currently, the genetic pathogenic mechanisms of CP are mainly divided into three pathways: the trypsin-dependent pathway, the protein misfolding pathway, and the ductal pathway. Pancreatic ductal epithelial cells, as an important cell type in the exocrine pancreas, are capable of producing H2O and HCO-3, and are responsible for the alkalization, dilution, and transportation of digestive enzymes. When genes related to the ductal pathway are functionally impaired, it will lead to an imbalance in the ion concentration within the duct and a disturbance in the transport of digestive enzymes, promoting the occurrence and development of CP. In the past, genes related to the ductal pathway were relatively rare, but in recent years, our understanding of the ductal pathway has gradually deepened, and new susceptibility genes have been continuously discovered. This article mainly discusses the genes related to the ductal pathway and their main pathogenic mechanisms to deepen our understanding of the pathogenesis of CP.

Keywords

• chronic pancreatitis
• susceptibility gene
• ductal pathway
• pathogenic mechanism