AJP - Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, Vol 245, Issue 6 725-G729, Copyright © 1983 by American Physiological Society
Regulation of antral gastrin content
L. R. Johnson and P. D. Guthrie
Five groups of rats were fasted for 3 days and injected with either NaCl or
5, 10, 20, or 40 micrograms/kg bombesin every 8 h. The animals were killed,
and their serum and antral gastrin levels were compared with those of
normally fed rats. Fasting reduced serum gastrin to 14% of control; antral
gastrin was reduced to 21% of control. All doses of bombesin significantly
increased serum gastrin in fasted rats, and 20 and 40 micrograms/kg
significantly increased antral gastrin. A group of normally fed rats was
also compared with one fed a liquid diet for 7 days. Half of each of these
was injected with 20 micrograms/kg bombesin (3 times/day) and the other
half with NaCl. Bombesin significantly increased serum and antral gastrin
in the rats fed solid food. The liquid diet lowered serum and antral
gastrin to 17 and 59% of control values, respectively. Bombesin injection
totally prevented these decreases. These data indicate that food in the
gastrointestinal tract is not required for either gastrin release or
synthesis. Furthermore, the data suggest that gastrin synthesis is
regulated primarily by gastrin release or by direct stimulation by bombesin
rather than by specific food products.
