SERUM GASTRIN LEVEL AND GASTRIC SOMATOSTATIN CONTENT AND BINDING IN LONG-TERM PYLOROMYOTOMIZED CHILDREN

Since somatostatin inhibits basal and stimulated gastric acid secretio n and gastrin release, it is conceivable that decreased gastric somato statin concentration may be one of the factors responsible for gastric hypersecretion found in patients who have undergone long-term pylorot omy for hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. To investigate this proposal th e somatostatin-like immunoreactivity concentration was determined in a ntral and fundic mucosa samples from control and long-term pyloromyoto mized children. Tn addition, somatostatin binding to cytosol from gast ric (fundus and antrum) mucosa and fasting serum gastrin levels and se rum gastrin response to a standard breakfast were also studied. The me an fundic and antral somatostatin-like immunoreactivity concentrations were significantly lower in long-term pyloromyotomized children than in control children. The depletion of fundic and antral somatosatin-li ke immunoreactivity content was associated with an increase in the num ber of gastric somatostatin binding sites. The fasting serum gastrin l evels and serum gastrin response to a standard breakfast (after 60 min ) in long-term pyloromyotomized children was significantly higher than those in control children. Since, together with the increase of somat ostatin binding to gastric mucosa, there is an increase in the gastrin serum levels, despite the inhibitory effect of somatostatin on gastri n release, the binding capacity cannot be the main factor determining the response to somatostatin in long-term pyloromyotomized children. T he present results suggest that both somatostatin and gastrin have som e pathophysiologic importance in long-term pyloromyotomized children.