Effect of various triglycerides on plasma cholecystokinin levels in rats.

In the rat model, polyunsaturated vegetable oil has been shown to stimulate pancreatic secretion and promote pancreatic carcinogenesis, whereas dietary fish oil has been found to protect against carcinogenesis. Because cholecystokinin (CCK), a hormonal polypeptide secreted from the upper small intestine after food stimulation, is the most important known humoral stimulus of pancreatic secretion and also because this gut hormone has been shown to promote pancreatic carcinogenesis in the rat, we decided to study the effects of various triglycerides on CCK secretion in this species. Small amounts (2.5 mL) of corn oil, beef tallow, fish oil, medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil or saline (control) were administered to groups of five fasted rats. Plasma CCK levels were measured using a specific and sensitive radioimmunoassay. The maximal CCK increments for corn oil, beef tallow, fish oil and MCT oil were 3.0 +/- 0.5, 2.1 +/- 0.6 and 7.2 +/- 0.4 pmol/L, respectively. All the increments were significantly greater (p less than 0.05) than the change found after saline administration (-0.8 +/- 0.3 pmol/L). In another experiment, plasma CCK levels after intragastric administration of MCT oil reached a peak increment of 6.4 +/- 0.4 pmol/L after 240 min and continued to be significantly increased for the entire 480-min study period. It was concluded that all four triglycerides caused a significant CCK release in the rat and that the MCT oil was the most powerful stimulator of CCK secretion among the triglycerides studied.