【Abstract】ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of ischemia-reperfusion （I/R） injury on apoptosis of pancreatic cells in rats with acute pancreatitis(AP). MethodsFifty-four SD rats were randomized into 3 groups: pancreatitis group (n=24), I/R-injury group (n=24) and control group (n=6). The animal model of AP was induced by retrograde injection of 3% sodium taurocholate into biliopancreatic duct in rats. Pancreatic I/R was caused by blocking the inferior splenic artery and removing the clamp after AP induction. At 1 h, 3 h, 6 h and 12 h, groups of rats were sacrificed. A terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotion nick end labeling (TUNEL) was used to detect pancreatic apoptosis, and histological changes of the pancreas were observed. ResultsPancreatic hemorrhage, necrosis were respectively observed in the pancreatitis rats at 6 h and the I/R-injury rats at 1 h. Histological changes of the pancreatitis rats at 1 h and 3 h were only congestion and edema. Apoptoic acinar cells increased after AP induction, the peak respectively appeared at 6 h in the pancreatitis rats and at 3 h in the I/R-injury rats. Compared with the pancreatitis rats, apoptosis index (AI) of the I/Rinjury rats was significantly higher at 1 h and 3 h (P＜0.01, P＜0.05, respectively), but lower at 6 h and 12 h (P＜0.05, P＜0.01, respectively). ConclusionI/R injury can induce conversion of edematous pancreatitis to hemorrhagic necrotizing pancreatitis and apoptosis of acinar cells. Apoptosis may be a beneficial response to pancreatic injury in AP.