Metabolism and influence of gastrin-52 on gastric acid secretion in humans.

It has been shown recently that the two largest alpha-carboxyamidated progastrin products are gastrin-71 and gastrin-52. Human gastrin-52 has now been synthesized, and the effect on gastric acid secretion and elimination from plasma was examined and compared with gastrin-17 in 12 normal subjects. The peptides were infused separately in four consecutive doses; the maximum response of gastrin-17 and gastrin-52 was 25.2 +/- 2.8 and 22.2 +/- 2.8 mmol H+/50 min, respectively (P < 0.01). This difference in efficacy was presumably related to nonequilibrium of gastrin-52 between plasma and receptor. The elimination of gastrin-17 was monoexponential with a half-life of 4.7 +/- 0.3 min; clearance and apparent volume of distribution were 16.7 +/- 1.5 ml.kg-1.min-1 and 106.0 +/- 9.2 ml/kg, respectively. The elimination of gastrin-52 was biexponential, the half-lives were 4.9 +/- 0.7 and 49.9 +/- 4.2 min, and clearance and apparent volume of distribution were 1.9 +/- 0.2 ml.kg-1.min-1 and 106.3 +/- 10.1 ml/kg, respectively. Gel chromatography of plasma samples drawn during infusion of gastrin-52 revealed that most of the immunoreactivity eluted in the position of the intact peptide. Small peaks in the positions of gastrin-34 and the NH2-terminal pentapeptide fragment of gastrin-52 indicate that a minor part of gastrin-52 is degraded to smaller peptides in vivo. It is concluded that gastrin-52 is bioactive with an efficacy close to or similar to that of gastrin-17. A minor fraction of gastrin-52 undergoes postsecretory cleavage either in plasma or after capillary transit.