Somatostatin has been reported to control upper
gastrointestinal hemorrhage, prevent restraint stress-induced gastric ulcerations, and inhibit gastric acid secretion. In this study we examined the effect of
somatostatin on basal and
pentagastrin-stimulated gastric acid output and mucosal blood flow.
Antral and corpus mucosal blood flows were measured by
hydrogen gas clearance in fasted, anesthetized rats.
Acid output was determined by a continuous gastric perfusion technique. In the basal study
somatostatin in doses of 8, 16, and 32 micrograms . kg-1 . h-1 was infused intravenously in separate groups of animals. In the
pentagastrin stimulation study
somatostatin (16 micrograms . kg-1 . h-1) was infused after gastric acid output was stimulated to plateau by intravenous
pentagastrin (19.8 micrograms . kg-1 . h-1). The results showed that
somatostatin had no effect on basal corpus or
antral mucosal blood flow. During
pentagastrin stimulation
somatostatin decreased
acid secretion but increased corpus mucosal blood flow. We speculate that this increase in blood flow may not be a direct effect as basal corpus or
antral mucosal blood flow was unaffected by
somatostatin.