Structure-activity relationships of eighteen somatostatin analogues on gastric secretion.

1. The effect of somatostatin and eighteen somatostatin analogues on pentagastrin-stimulated gastric acid and pepsin secretion was investigated in the conscious vagotomized cat prepared with chronic gastric fistulae. The majority of the analogues are peptides where D-amino acids are incorporated into the molecule instead of the natural L-isomers. 2. The ID50 for cyclic-somatostatin inhibition of near-maximal gastric acid secretion stimulated by pentagastrin 8 microgram kg-1 hr-1 was found to be 1.29 +/- 0.13 n-mole kg-1 hr-1. Pentagastrin-stimulated pepsin secretion had a lower threshold to somatostatin inhibition than did acid secretion. 3. D-Phe6, D-Phe7, D-Thr10, D-Thr12 and D-Phe6-D-Trp8 analogues all show low biological activity against the secretion of gastric acid and pepsin, growth hormone, insulin and glucagon. None of these analogues are antagonists of the cyclic-somatostatin inhibition of gastric secretion, suggesting that they have low affinity for this somatostatin receptor. 4. The analogues under investigation show parallel changes in activity against gastric and growth hormone secretion, suggesting a similarity between the gastric and growth hormone receptors for somatostatin. 5. D-Cys14 analogues are equipotent with or have a greater potency than cyclic-simatostatin in inhibiting the secretion of gastric acid, growth hormone and glucagon but show low insulin inhibiting activity.