Plasma cholecystokinin-octapeptide like immunoreactivity in patients with hepatic cirrhosis.

Molecular forms of cholecystokinin (CCK) in the peripheral circulation were studied in normal subjects and cirrhotic patients. Fractionation of plasma extract collected 20 min after intraduodenal infusion of fat revealed four major peaks by Sephadex G-50 column chromatography in normal subjects. Peak I eluted at a position similar to CCK-33, peaks II and III eluted between CCK-33 and CCK-14, and peak IV eluted between CCK-14 and CCK-8. In cirrhotic patients, there was a prominent peak (peak V) eluted at a position similar to CCK-8, in addition to those four peaks. These findings are consistent with the previous observations of hepatic elimination of CCK-8, and suggest that smaller forms of CCK similar in size to CCK-8 are not major forms of CCK in plasma in normal subjects but circulate substantially in cirrhotic patients.