L= lysosome; ZG = zymogens; CV = condensing vacuole; RER = rough endoplasmatic reticulum.

Figure 1: Mechanism of acute pancreatitis. The initiating event is the blockage of secretion, leading to the accumulation of zymogen granules within the acinar cells. After this event, there is a fusion of lysosomes and zymogens within large vacuoles and, finally, there is an activation of enzymes and acute intracellular injury.