An Antiproteinase lnhibits High Carbohydrate-Diet Induced Gallstone Formation in Hamsters

Abstract

High carbohydrate(CHO) diet plays a role in pigment gallstone formation, though the mechanism is not yet clarified. We postulated that high CHO diet induces gallstone formation through a mechanism whereby high CHO diet poorly stimulates cholecystokinin(CCK) release and causes relative bile stasis. The purpose of our study was to examine whether camostat mesilate(camostat), oral antiproteinase increasing CCK release, inhibits gallstone formation from high CHO diet in hamsters. Fifty six hamsters were divided into 3 groups(G): I(n = 18) was fed normal rat chow(43% CHO), lI(n = 19) was fed a high CHO diet(65% CHO), III(n = 19) was fed 0.2% camostat high CHO diet. The animals were sacrificed after 8 weeks. Stones were checked grossly and gallbladder bile was analysed. Gallstones had developed in 11.1% of G-I, 84.2% of G-II, and 26.3% of GIII( p < 0.05: II vs III). Concentrations of cholesterol, phospholipid, calcium, bilirubin and bile acid were low in G-III. Pancreatic weight, reflecting chronic status of CCK level, of G-II1 was greater than other groups and that of G-II was smaller than that of G-I. In conclusion, camostat inhibits high CHO diet induced gallstone formation in hamsters and the possible mechanism is that camostat recovers the low CCK release by high CHO diet. This study suggests that high CHO diet is associated with pigment stone formation through the mechanism that high CHO diet causes poor CCK release.