PEPSIN CONCENTRATION IN GASTRODUODENAL BIOPSY HOMOGENATES IN CHRONIC ULCER DISEASE

A modification of Berstad's spectrophotometric method was tested and p roved capable of detecting pepsin concentrations in mucosal perendosco pic biopsy homogenates. The relationship between this parameter and pe psin in gastric juice and pepsinogen group I in serum and in biopsy ho mogenates was analyzed. From the biochemical point of view, the assay was found sufficiently accurate. Mucosal pepsinogen group I, but not m ucosal pepsin, concentration was found higher in gastric and duodenal ulcer patients than in controls. Patients with corpus-fundic gastric u lcer showed significantly lower mucosal pepsin and mucosal pepsinogen group (PG) I. Aging and smoking did not influence either parameter but male duodenal ulcer subjects presented higher mucosal pepsinogen grou p I concentration. The lack of any relationship between serum and muco sal PG I and between pepsin in gastric juice and in mucosa raises a qu estion, at least in methodological terms, about the validity of using serum pepsinogen group I and pepsin as indicators of peptic output.