Exogenous Gastrin in Rhesus Monkeys: The Effect of 50% Distal Small-Bowel Resection on Its Rate of Disappearance

• The rate of disappearance from the circulation of exogenous heptadecapeptide gastrin was studied before and after 50% distal small-bowel resection in four rhesus monkeys. For each study, venous blood samples were drawn during, and at frequent intervals after, a one-hour peripheral venous infusion of synthetic human gastrin 1 given at a constant rate within the range of 0.4 to 2.4 μg/hr/kg of body weight. The rate of disappearance of infused gastrin was not affected by small-bowel resection (mean half-time before operation, 2.50 minutes; mean half-time after operation, 2.47 minutes). These data indicate that in the rhesus monkey, the rate of catabolism of exogenous gastrin is not decreased after distal small-bowel resection, and indicate that other mechanisms are responsible for the hypergastrinemia and gastric acid hypersecretion observed in this animal model. ( Arch Surg 1981;116:297-300)