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BACKGROUND:The pancreas has a strong regeneration potential in mammals. Previous studies suggested that pancreas regeneration is correlated with proliferation and differentiation of pancreatic stem cells, but the ifeld of pancreatic stem cells is still in its infancy. This study was undertaken to detect the expression of pancreas/duodenal homeobox-1 (PDX-1) and proliferation of pancreatic duct epithelial cells in remnant pancreas during regeneration after partial pancreatectomy in rats, and characterize the source of pancreatic stem cells. METHODS:Partial pancreatectomy (90%) was performed on four- to ifve-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats, and duct epithelial cells and acinar cells were detected by immunohistochemical staining and scored using the 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) labelling index at various time points. Western blotting and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to assess the expression of PDX-1 protein and mRNA, respectively. RESULTS: At 24 hours after partial pancreatectomy, proliferation started in the main, large and small duct cells, and persisted in small duct cells to day 5. The experimental and control groups were signiifcantly different (P