Effect of electric stimulation of the celiac vagus on gastric acid secretion and plasma concentrations of somatostatin and gastrin in the portal and gastroepiploic veins of dogs.

Electric stimulation (ES) of the celiac vagus during tetragastrin infusion reduced significantly the portal plasma concentration of somatostatin (SS) from 113 +/- 11.3 pg/ml to 87.8 +/- 5.8 pg/ml (P less than 0.05) in anesthetized dogs, in parallel with marked decrease of gastric acid secretion (59.9 +/- 7.1% of the prestimulatory value; P less than 0.01). A similar change in the portal plasma SS concentration was observed by ES of the celiac vagus on infusion of saline, with a concomitant significant increase in the portal plasma level of gastrin from a basal value of 65.9 +/- 7.0 pg/ml to a peak value of 129 +/- 29.9 pg/ml (P less than 0.05). However, no fluctuation of the plasma SS or gastrin level in the gastroepiploic vein was detected during or after ES of the celiac vagus. These findings indicate that gastric SS and gastrin are not of primary importance in the mechanism of inhibition of gastric acid secretion induced by ES of the celiac vagus in the dog.