Secretion of somatostatin and its physiologic function.

Somatostatin, initially described as a growth hormone release-inhibitory peptide 14 amino acids in length, has been shown to be one of a family of related peptides. It is ubiquitous in distribution and versatile as a paracrine factor with a potentially important role in the regulation of gut, pancreatic, and nervous system function in addition to its well-recognized influence on the pituitary secretion of growth hormone and thyroid-stimulating hormone. With the development of new super agonists, it has become possible to manipulate the endocrine milieu, to modify gut, pancreatic, and pituitary function, and in the case of several diseases such as acromegaly, intractable diarrhea, and carcinoid, to make a significant advance in therapy.