The relationship of secretin and somatostatin levels in plasma to glucose administration and acid secretion during fasting.

Abstract

The concentrations of secretin and somatostatin in plasma were measured in 10 healthy subjects during a 4-day fast. The fast induced increased concentrations of plasma secretin (from 1.2 +/- 0.5 to 9.5 +/- 2.3 pmol/l) and somatostatin (from 5.2 +/- 1.5 to 8.6 +/- 1.7 pmol/l). Gastric aspiration for 1 h suppressed the high concentrations of secretin by 46% and somatostatin by 27%. The intravenous infusion of glucose reduced the plasma secretin even further by 88%; the decrease in somatostatin was not statistically significant. The study shows that gastric aspiration and/or glucose infusion suppressed the high plasma concentration of secretin and that factors other than hyperchlorhydria must be involved in the hypersecretinemia seen during starvation. The elevated plasma somatostatin concentration seen during starvation may be a consequence of increased acid secretion.