Alcoholic pancreatitis: New insights into the pathogenesis and treatment

Figure 1 The by-products of ethanol metabolism cause a number of changes in the pancreas. In the pancreas, ethanol is metabolized by both nonoxidative and oxidative pathways. The major by-products of the nonoxidative metabolism of ethanol are FAEEs. The major metabolic by-product of the oxidative metabolism of ethanol is acetaldehyde. Metabolism of ethanol by both of these pathways has been shown to cause a number of changes that can predispose the pancreas to acute pancreatitis. FAEE: Fatty acid ethyl ester; NF-κB: Nuclear factor-κB.