Abstract: Obsjective To investigate the effects of recombinant human interleukin(IL)-10 on serum Interleukin-1β in L-arginine-induced acute necrotizing pancreatitis in rats. Methods Ninty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups. Group A(n=36) and Group I(n=32) received three intraperitoneal injections of 6% L-arginine (1.0mg/g) at hourly intervals. Group I(n=32) was treated with 10,000 unites of intraperitioneal recombinant human IL-10 at the 2nd, 5th and 8th hour after the last injection of L-arginine. Group C(n=24) received saline alone. Rats were killed at the 4th, 12th, 24th and 36th hour after the last L-arginine injection. Serum interleukin-1β and amylase were assayed.Pancreatic tissues were fixed in formalin. Histopathological score were recorded according to the edema, inflammation and necrosis of the tissues in three groups. Results Compare with group C, serum amylase and interleukin-1β and pancreatic histopathological scores in group A increased significantly after L-arginine injection(P<0.05 or P<0.01). Compared with group A, the levels of serum amylase and interleukin-1β in group I were significantly decreased at various time points (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Pancreatic histopathological scores in group I were decreased compare with group A at the 12th, 24th, 36th hour(P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusions IL-10 attenuates the severity of experimental acute necrotizing pancreatitis by inhibiting the release of interleukin-1β.