Table 1.

Examples of Factors That Make it Difficult to Assess the Relevance of Acute Pancreatitis Models

Rodents Inbred strains and strain differences Variations in microbiome and diet Potential differences in key regulatory/target proteins Differences in preparations/experimental conditions Incomplete information (time course, inflammatory responses, multi-organ effects)

Human beings Inherent human genetic and epigenetic variation Lack of knowledge of both how injurious factors cause disease and reproducing them in animal models Paucity of tissue for histologic analysis and correlation Incomplete information relating to the natural history of disease and organ reconstitution