Serum group I pepsinogens and gastrin in relation to gastric H+ and pepsin outputs before and after subcutaneous injection of pentagastrin.

A conventional pentagastrin test was carried out in 25 patients with dyspeptic complaints, and gastric H+ and pepsin outputs were determined. Blood was drawn before the intubation and 5 and 30 min after subcutaneous injection of pentagastrin, and serum group I pepsinogens (PG I) and serum gastrin were determined by radioimmunoassay methods. A significant correlation was found between serum PG I, on the one hand, and basal gastric pepsin, output as well as pentagastrin-stimulated gastric H+ and pepsin outputs, on the other. Basal serum gastrin was also significantly correlated to pentagastrin-stimulated gastric pepsin output as well as to serum PG I. Pentagastrin failed to induce an increase in serum PG I during the first 30 min.