Mechanism of Increased Exocrine Pancreatic Secretion in Pancreatic Juice-Diverted Rats

We investigate a possible role of endogenous cholecystokinin-pancreozymin (CCK-PZ) in the mechanism of exocrine pancreatic secretion after excluding pancreatic juice from the intestine in rats. Fasting plasma immunoreactive CCK-PZ was determined in normal rats, in rats with pancreatic duct ligation, and in sham-operated rats. The mean fasting plasma CCK-PZ concentration of rats with pancreatic duct ligation, 25.1 ± 2.0 pM, was significantly greater (p < 0.001) than those of normal and sham-operated rats, 14.3 ± 1.7 and 11.5 ± 2.2 pM, respectively. Whereas mean postprandial plasma CCK-PZ concentrations of normal and shamoperated rats were significantly greater (p < 0.001) than their fasting levels, no significant increase occurred in the rats with pancreatic duct ligation after a meal. The mean fasting plasma CCK-PZ concentration of rats with pancreatic duct ligation was comparable to the mean postprandial CCK-PZ level of normal and sham-operated rats. To determine a possible role of circulating endogenous CCKPZ on the pancreatic secretion, anesthetized rats were prepared with ligation of pylorus and cannulation of pancreatic duct. After diversion of pancreatic juice began, pancreatic secretion including protein significantly increased, which coincided with a significant increase in plasma CCK-PZ concentration. The increases in both pancreatic secretion and plasma CCK-PZ were reversed by intraduodenal administration of bovine trypsin or rat pancreatic juice. Furthermore, the increase in pancreatic secretion was abolished by intravenous infusion of proglumide or an intravenous bolus injection of a rabbit anti-CCK-PZ serum, which also blocked clearly the increase in the pancreatic secretion stimulated by exogenous CCK-PZ8 (0.125 μg · kg-1 · h-1) in rats. Thus we conclude that the increase in pancreatic secretion resulting from elimination of pancreatic juice from the intestine is attributable, in part, to increased release of CCK-PZ, and thus it is suggested that trypsin in the intestinal lumen plays a significant role in release of CCK-PZ.