To investigate the safety of focused ultrasound (FUS) partial ablation on the pancreas of Sprague Dawley® (SD) rats by histopathological examination of the outcome and investigation of glycometabolism function changes after local ablation. A total of 135 healthy SD rats were randomly divided into three groups (n=45 of each): FUS ½ group, FUS ¼ group, and control group. Levels of serum
amylase was measured using the
enzyme dynamics method, fasting
blood glucose was measured by the
glucose oxidase-
peroxidase method, fasting serum
insulin was measured by direct chemiluminescence assay, and an ELISA was used to measure fasting serum
glucagon immediately
after treatment, and at 2h, 3days, 1, 2, 3 and 4weeks, 3 and 6months after FUS ablation. Pancreatic tissue was stained with
hematoxylin and
eosin and the pathology of the ablation area was examined under an optical microscope; additionally, the expression of
insulin and
glucagon was investigated by immunohistochemistry. Compared with the control group, serum
amylase and fasting
blood glucose levels in the ablation groups rose significantly immediately after operation; fasting
blood glucose, serum
amylase, serum
insulin and
glucagon levels in the ablation groups were significantly different at 2h
after treatment, and serum
amylase levels in the ablation groups remained significantly different on day 3. Histological findings showed that the coagulation
necrosis area gradually shrank, with formation of new blood vessels observed at week 3, and new ducts observable in the ablation area at the 3rd month after FUS ablation, but no formation of islets was observed. Expression of
insulin and
glucagon in the ablation groups were significantly higher than in the control group at 2h after FUS ablation. There were no significant adverse effects on the glycometabolic function of SD rats after FUS ablation, and the influence of FUS treatment on pancreatic functions were minimal.