Caerulein is a gastric regulatory molecule similar in function and composition to cholecystokinin (CCK), which stimulates gastric, bile duct and pancreatic secretion. Cerulein can be used to study signal transduction pathways mediated by NF-?B up-regulated proteins such as intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM-1), inflammation-related factors such as NADPH oxidase, and Janus kinase. It has been successfully used in the establishment of acute pancreatitis (AP) models in animals such as rats, mice, dogs, and Syrian hamsters [1-5