Secretory activity and trophic effects of epidermal growth factor in the rat pancreas.

This study was to investigate whether epidermal growth factor (EGF) may induce any long-term effect on pancreatic exocrine function in vivo as well to evaluate the chronic effects of EGF on pancreatic growth in rats. Rats were treated with EGF (10 micrograms/kg) for 5 or 7 days. EGF infused intravenously (2 micrograms/kg/h) in anaesthetized and pretreated rats for 5 or 7 days with EGF caused a slight decline flow rate after 1 h of EGF infusion compared to control values. In contrast, EGF evoked a increase in amylase secretion. This stimulatory effect was much larger in EGF-pretreated rats for 7 days, whereas the total protein output was unchanged. The trophic parameters which include pancreatic weight, total protein and total contents of DNA and RNA relative to body weight were not significantly different in any treated group. Only the pancreatic amylase content was increased significantly after 7 days of treatment with EGF. The present study fails to observe a stimulatory role of EGF on pancreatic growth in rats, but may participate in the regulation of pancreatic exocrine function in vivo.