Effect of pancreozymin and secretin on intraluminal enterokinase, trypsin, and chymotrypsin activities of cystic fibrosis and control children.

Duodenal fluids from control and cystic fibrosis (CF) patients were assayed for enterokinase (EK), trypsin and chymotrypsin activities. CF patients as a group were found to have higher basal EK activity in spite of low trypsin and chymotrypsin activities. In control patients, pancreozymin (CCK) injection led to increases in specific activities of trypsin and chymotrypsin and a decrease in EK but did not change the total EK activities. Secretin administration led to decreases in specific activities of trypsin and chymotrypsin compared to post-CCK levels. The total EK activities were greatly increased following secretin administration. Thus, secretin may have direct influence on the release of EK into the duodenum. CCK and secretin have no effect on the specific activities of trypsin, chymotrypsin and EK in CF patients. EK release in CF patients is either constitutive and therefore not affected by CCK and secretin or it has been fully induced by the low trypsin content and becomes unresponsive to further hormonal stimulation.