Wang YX, Ge P, Chen HL. Induction of hyperlipidemic pancreatitis by different fatty acids: A narrative review. World J Gastroenterol 2025; 31(22): 106575 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i22.106575]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Hai-Long Chen, PhD, Professor, Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic-Biliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, No. 222 Zhongshan Road, Dalian 116011, Liaoning Province, China. chenhailong@dmu.edu.cn
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastroenterol. Jun 14, 2025; 31(22): 106575 Published online Jun 14, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i22.106575
Induction of hyperlipidemic pancreatitis by different fatty acids: A narrative review
Yu-Xi Wang, Peng Ge, Hai-Long Chen
Yu-Xi Wang, Department of Cancer Biology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, United States
Yu-Xi Wang, Department of General Surgery, The Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116027, Liaoning Province, China
Peng Ge, Hai-Long Chen, Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic-Biliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116011, Liaoning Province, China
Author contributions: Wang YX wrote the manuscript; Ge P edited the figures; Chen HL supervised the research and provided advice.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Hai-Long Chen, PhD, Professor, Department of General Surgery, Pancreatic-Biliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, No. 222 Zhongshan Road, Dalian 116011, Liaoning Province, China. chenhailong@dmu.edu.cn
Received: March 3, 2025 Revised: April 9, 2025 Accepted: May 26, 2025 Published online: June 14, 2025 Processing time: 103 Days and 6.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This review explores the potential causes of hyperlipidemic pancreatitis. The increased intake of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) initially elevates pancreatic lipase activity, accelerating lipolysis and fat necrosis, which in turn increases free fatty acids levels and creates a permissive inflammatory environment in severe acute pancreatitis. This process accelerates immune response of M1 macrophage polarization and subsequent acinar damage. Over time, unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) exacerbate acinar cell damage and impair β-cell function in the pancreas, leading to diabetes. This cumulative effect is a consistent and damaging process. Therefore, the ratio of UFAs to SFAs is crucial in the pathogenesis of severe acute pancreatitis, and the progression is complex. It is essential to clearly define the primary roles of SFAs and UFAs in the development of severe acute pancreatitis.
