CCK and acute pancreatitis: Based on high serum levels of cholecystokinin (CCK) observed in patients with acute pancreatitis, a high dose of caerulein, a CCK8 analogue, causes excessive pancreatic secretion of amylase and lipase, cytoplasmic vacuolization, death of acinar cells, oedema formation, and an infiltration of inflammatory cells into the pancreas, which are clearly observed in human pancreatitis2.