Preparation of chronic denervated gastric pouches in the rat

¹ The Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana

A method is described for the surgical preparation, feeding and care of a chronic denervated gastric pouch in the rat. The basal secretion of the denervated pouch is approximately 0.24 ml/hr. and the hourly free HCl output is nearly zero after a fast of 12 hours. The volume of secretion and the free HCl output both increased after feeding with 3–5 gm of canned dog food. Insulin, 0.5 u, stimulated the output of free HCl from the innervated total gastric fistula but failed to stimulate the volume flow or the acid output of the denervated pouch. A denervated pouch prepared from the squamous or nonglandular portion of the stomach was also described. This portion of the stomach never secreted any free acid at any time over a period of 6 months postoperatively. This is the first physiologic proof that the white portion of the rat stomach is nonacid secreting. The advantages of using a denervated gastric pouch for physiologic and pharmacologic studies are discussed.