The effect of secretin on pancreatic blood flow in the awake and anesthetized dog.

The canine pancreatic blood flow was studied after iv secretin (resulting in a plasma level commensurate with the postcibal state), and also after larger iv doses and after duodenal acidification. We found that blood flow was unaffected by "physiological" doses of secretin, or by perfusion of duodenum at a pH as low as 2.0, but increased by bolus doses (0.5 CU/kg and above), and by acidification to pH 1.4. Anesthesia does not affect the blood flow response although the bicarbonate response appeared to be blunted under anesthesia. We conclude that increase in pancreatic blood flow is not a physiological effect of secretin.