Somatostatin levels and binding in duodenal mucosa of rabbits with ligation of the pancreatic duct.

Atrophy of the exocrine pancreas was induced in rabbits by pancreatic duct ligation. Somatostatin concentration and binding in cytosol from rabbit duodenal mucosa were studied after 6 and 14 weeks of pancreatic duct ligation. Somatostatin-like immunoreactivity was significantly increased in the duodenal mucosa in both periods. Scatchard analysis showed a parallel increase in the number of binding sites rather than a change in their affinity. The physiological significance of these findings remains to be clarified.