Release of antral and duodenal gastrin in response to an intestinal meal.

In dogs prepared with isolated, innervated antral pouches, intraduodenal perfusion with liver extract at pH 7, with the atrum buffered at pH 7, resulted in a significant release of gastrin selectively from the antrum and from the duodenum. Acidification of the meal to pH 1 abolished both antral and duodenal gastrin release, whereas acidification of the antrum abolished only the antral gastrin response. After antrectomy, liver extract at pH 7 caused a diminished but significant release of duodenal gastrin. These studies provide evidence that an intestinal meal may release (in addition to a specific intestinal phase hormone) gastrin from the intestine, and from antrum, by means of a pH-sensitive mechanism which may involve a humoral agent (enterobombesin?) from the small bowel.