INFLUENCE OF GASTROINTESTINAL (GI) HORMONES ON SUCKLING, GASTRIC-EMPTYING AND PANCREATIC TRYPSIN CONTENT IN THE DEVELOPING RAT

Aim of this study was to investigate how gastrointestinal hormones suc h as exogenous s.c. caerulein (6 mu g/kg body weight), secretin (100 U /kg body weight), bombesin (20 mu g/kg body weight, s.c.), CCK-8 (10 m u g/kg body weight, i.p.), the CCK-A receptor antagonist L 364,718 (10 0 mu g/kg body weight, i.p.), camostate (400 mg/kg body weight per os) which releases endogenous CCK and the coadministration of camostate w ith atropin (250 mu g/kg body weight, s.c) or L 364,718 (1 mg/kg) infl uence milk intake from nipples, gastric emptying, and discharge of pan creatic trypsin content n 10-day-old rat pups. Saline-treated pups ser ved as controls. The non-fasting Wistar rat pups of both sexes were us ed in littermate order. The suckling lasted for 30 and 45 min, respect ively. One pup was used only 1 once. After suckling the pups were deca pitated, their stomach and pancreas were removed and weighed. The gast ric food content was regarded as intake of milk and expressed as diffe rence between the filled minus empty stomach. Pancreatic trypsin and p rotein con,: tent, plasma CCK level were measured. The exogenous agent s did not influence gastric content. The investigated peptides decreas ed, L 364,718, however, increased the pancreatic trypsin/protein ratio . Camo-state increased gastric content by 60% and decreased pancreatic trypsin/protein ratio vs saline by 90%. The gastric and pancreatic ef fects of camostate were not reversed by atropin or L 364,718. Conclusi on: Exogenous and endogenous CCK seem not to influence milk intake whi le decrease pancreatic trypsin/protein ratio. However, endogenous CCK inhibit gastric emptying. The plasma CCK level was elevated due to the applied CCK-8 and camostate during the observed suckling period.