Direct method for estimating the total gastrin cell number in the stomach of rats.

An original and simple method for counting the total G cell number in the stomach of small rodents is described. Staining the G cells with the peroxidase-antibody technique and counterstaining the nucleus make it possible to correct the nuclear overestimation. Counting directly the total number of G cells in sections from the entire stomach avoids errors due to tissue retraction and to unprecise delineation of the antro-fundic limit.