Effect of intraduodenal instillation of 1-phenyl-1-hydroxy-n-pentane on pancreatic exocrine secretions and immunoreactive secretion release in the rat.

Pancreatic juice flow and amylase output, and the concentrations of immunoreactive secretin in portal and peripheral blood were simultaneously determined in anesthetized rats in response to intraduodenal instillation of 1-phenyl-1-hydroxy-n-pentane (PHP), a phenyl carbinol derivative induced from one of the constituents of Curcuma. PHP stimulated both pancreatic juice flow and amylase output and increased portal and jugular plasma secretin levels in a dose-related fashion. During intraduodenal instillation of PHP the pH in the second portion of the duodenum remained consistently above 6.3. Infusion of cyclic somatostatin at a dose of 5 microgram/kg/h significantly suppressed the PHP-induced secretin release, though pancreatic flow rate and amylase output were only slightly and insignificantly suppressed. These observations suggest that PHP release secretin by an acid independent mechanism but also stimulates the exocrine pancreas by a mechanism independent of secretin.