Physiological stimulation of pepsin secretion. The role of vagal innervation.

The studies were performed on eight double-pouch dogs with one vagally innervated Amdrup pouch (AP) and one denervated Heidenhain pouch (HP), allowing comparison of pepsin secretion from innervated and denervated mucosa at the same time in the same animal. Food stimulation was done with a mixture of liver, heart, and bonemeal in doses of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 g/kg body weight, plus maximal stimulation by repeated meals of 5 g/kg every 15 min up to 10 times. 'Non-active' secretion of pepsin was determined by instillation in the pouches of 0.1 M and 0.005 M HCl dissolved in 0.15 M NaCl. The pepsin secretion in the HP equalled the 'non-active' output for all doses of food. In the innervated pouch there was an immediate, very high pepsin output similar to the response that can be elicited by 2-deoxy-D-glucose and bethanechol chloride. The secretion of pepsin was gradually reduced, but it was, as long as the volume and electrolyte secretion lasted. well above the 'non-active' level. The results show that stimulation of pepsin secretion by food is completely dependent on intact vagal innervation. The volume and acid output were increased as the dose of food was increased, but the concentration of pepsin was stepwise reduced when the volume increased, resulting in approximately the same output of pepsin for all doses of food. The pepsin to acid ratio was statistically higher in juice secreted from innervated than from denervated mucosa for all doses of food, for lower doses of histamine and pentagastrin, and for higher doses of bethanechol chloride.