Effect of acetyl-L-carnitine on hypersensitivity in acute recurrent caerulein-induced pancreatitis and microglial activation along the brain’s pain circuitry

Figure 2 Anxiety-like behavior was measured in week 6 of caerulein-induced pancreatitis but acetyl-L-carnitine treatment only increased the number of rearing events. A: Mice with caerulein- (CAE) induced pancreatitis spent significantly more time in the closed arm, and less in the center and open arm of the plus maze compared to naïve control animals. Treatment with acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) had no effect; B: Mice with CAE-induced pancreatitis reared significantly less compared to naïve control animals. This was alleviated after 3 wk of treatment with ALC; C: No differences were detected between groups in the number of entries to the different zones of the elevated plus maze. n = 6/group; ^aP < 0.05 compared to naïve control; ^cP < 0.05 compared to CAE + ALC; two-way ANOVA with Newman-Keuls post hoc test. ALC: Acetyl-L-carnitine; CAE: Caerulein; VEH: Vehicle.