Effect of acid in pyloric pouch on response of fundic pouch to injected gastrin

¹ Gastroenterology Section, Veterans Administration Center; and Departments of Medicine and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, California

In dogs, the acid response of a denervated fundic pouch to irrigation of an isolated pouch of the pyloric gland area with 0.5% acetylcholine was reduced by 87% when the pH of the irrigating solution was lowered from 7 to 1.3. In the same dogs, gastrin extract was given by continuous intravenous injection, the isolated pyloric pouch being irrigated alternately with 0.1 n NaHCO₃ and 0.1 n HCI. No significant difference in acid response of the denervated fundic pouch was observed during acidification as compared to alkalinization. These findings support the hypothesis that acidification of the pyloric gland area prevents release of gastrin and provide further evidence against the view that acidification causes the release of an inhibitory humoral agent.