Effect of starvation on somatostatin content of pancreas and gastrointestinal tract of the guinea pig.

The effect of 48-hour starvation on the somatostatin contents of the pancreas and gastrointestinal tract was studied in the guinea pig. Somatostatin contents were higher in various portions of the stomach and pancreas of fed guinea pigs than in fed rats and unchanged after 48-hour starvation, in spite of the decreased blood glucose level. These results suggest that somatostatin may not play the same physiological role in nutrient homeostasis of guinea pigs as it does in other species.