title: The possible role of circulating catecholamines in the control of gastric function in health and duodenal ulcer disease.
abstract: The relation between gastric acid secretion and plasma concentrations of adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine and gastrin was investigated in normal volunteers, adrenalectomized subjects and patients with duodenal ulcer (DU) during digestion and in response to insulin and modified sham feeding (MSF). Basal plasma noradrenaline concentrations were significantly higher in DU patients than in normals whereas basal plasma adrenaline and dopamine concentrations were low in both groups. Basal acid output was similar in the two groups. Insulin markedly increased plasma adrenaline in controls but had no discernible effect in adrenalectomized subjects. Still, there was no difference between acid secretion in the two groups. Insulin, but not MSF, caused a marked increase in plasma catecholamine concentrations in DU patients whereas the acid responses were the same. The significantly increased plasma noradrenaline concentration in DU patients was normalized 6 weeks after highly selective vagotomy but tended to return to the preoperative value 1 year postoperatively. Our results suggest that endogenously released adrenaline might affect gastric function only when present in extremely high plasma concentrations. The pathophysiological role of noradrenaline in DU disease remains obscure.
mesh_terms: D002395:Catecholamines / Q000097:blood*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004381:Duodenal Ulcer / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D004435:Eating; D005744:Gastric Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D005755:Gastrins / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism; D007328:Insulin; D014628:Vagotomy
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines; D005755:Gastrins; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists; D007328:Insulin