Effect of exogenous pancreatic enzymes on gastrointestinal and pancreatic hormone release and gastrointestinal motility.

In clinical practice, exogenous pancreatic enzymes are administered for the treatment of pancreatogenic steatorrhea or with the intention to relieve pain due to chronic pancreatitis. Moreover, a large number of patients take pancreatin (i.e., exogenous pancreatic enzymes) for functional dyspepsia. The effect of exogenous pancreatic enzymes on the enteropancreatic axis is a complex issue. Intraduodenal but not intrajejunal protease activity appears to exert a dose-dependent negative feedback on exocrine pancreatic secretion. Only enzymes with a proteolytic activity but not amylase and lipase exert a control on pancreatic secretion. The mechanism responsible for this feedback regulation is debated, but the cholinergic system seems to play a major role. Intraduodenal pancreatic enzymes (pancreatin) lead to an increased release of pancreatic polypeptide but do not affect the release of insulin and glucagon. In addition, pancreatic enzymes have an influence on the release of some gastrointestinal hormones (i.e., cholecystokinin, motilin, gastric inhibitory polypeptide). Neither exogenous nor endogenous pancreatic enzymes seem to play a major role in the regulation of interdigestive gastrointestinal motility. However, an adequate rate of postprandial pancreatic output is required to control gastric emptying. Current knowledge on the effect of exogenous pancreatic enzymes on the enteropancreatic axis, gut peptide release and gastrointestinal motility are updated in the present article.