Effect of bilateral nephrectomy on serum gastrin concentration, gastric histamine content, histidine decarboxylase activity, and acid secretion in the rat.

Nephrectomy caused a marked increase in the concentration of circulating gastrin immunoreactivity but did not increase basal acid secretion. In normal rats, both histamine and pentagastrin stimulated gastric acid output, but after nephrectomy only histamine was effective. Histidine decarboxylase in the oxyntic mucosa was greatly activated following nephrectomy. Thus, in the nephrectomized rat gastrin (and pentagastrin) no longer evoked acid secretion, whereas it retained its ability to activate gastric histidine decarboxylase. The results suggest that the kidney is important for metabolism and excretion not only of gastrin but of humoral antagonists of gastrin-induced acid secretion as well.