Somatostatin concentration in gastric and colonic mucosa of normal and streptozotocin-diabetic pregnant rats.

Abstract

Radioinmunoassayable somatostatin content was measured in stomach antrum and fundus, and in colon mucosa from virgin and 20-day pregnant rats made diabetic with streptozotocin treatment before gestation, and which either did or did not receive daily insulin substitution therapy. They were compared with normal untreated rats. Somatostatin content in both antrum and fundus was lower in normal pregnant animals than in virgin animals. Diabetes produced an increase in somatostatin content, and insulin therapy caused a reduction in antrum, fundus and colon somatostatin content in the virgin animals, only in the fundus and colon in pregnant rats. It is proposed that these findings may be related to changes in gastric acid secretion and digestive cell proliferation known to occur during diabetes and pregnancy although their precise physiological significance remains to be established.