Serum gastrin in newborn, sucking and weaned pigs.

Serum gastrin concentrations during the first six weeks of life in pigs reared on sow's milk alone were compared with those in pigs given access to solid food at two weeks and weaned at three weeks of age. Gastrin levels were higher in both parturient sows and newborn unsuckled pigs than in dry sows. It appears that the newborn pig is capable of secreting its own gastrin. High levels of gastrin persisted throughout the experimental period, being particularly high in the first two weeks of life. In weaned pigs, feeding after a period of fasting evoked a greater postprandial gastrin response than that which occurred in unweaned pigs after sucking from the sow. The results suggest a possible role for gastrin in early gastric development.