Effects of hypercholecystokininemia produced by pancreaticobiliary diversion on pancreatic growth and enzyme mRNA levels in starved rats.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the weight, DNA content, and enzyme mRNA levels in the pancreas in response to endogenous hypercholecystokininemia produced by pancreaticobiliary diversion (PBD) in starved rats. The results showed that PBD, which is known to increase the circulating cholecystokinin (CCK) concentration, prevented the reduction in the weight and DNA content of the pancreas after 3 days of starving, and that PBD increased the mRNA levels of amylase, chymotrypsinogen B, and procarboxypeptidase A in the pancreas of starved rats. The findings support the view that endogenous CCK plays an important role in maintaining the weight of the normal pancreas of starved rats and that it stimulates the transcription of genes coding for pancreatic exocrine enzymes.