Somatostatin stimulates clearance and hepatic uptake of colloidal carbon in the rat.
Somatostatin exerts hormonal and neuroendocrine effects. Since it prevents several organ injuries and systemic intoxications, we tested the hypothesis that activation of Kupffer cells might be one mechanism of the beneficial actions of this peptide. The data presented here demonstrate that somatostatin given i.v. in rats dose- and time-dependently accelerated the clearance of colloidal carbon from the blood and enhanced the uptake of carbon in the liver. On a weight basis, somatostatin was more potent than the RES stimulant zymosan or RES blocker gadolinium chloride. Thus, somatostatin might modulate Kupffer cells and possibly other macrophages, and these effects may have a role in the physiologic or pharmacologic actions of this peptide.
D000818:Animals; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism*; D003102:Colloids; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005682:Gadolinium / Q000494:pharmacology; D007728:Kupffer Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015054:Zymosan / Q000494:pharmacology
D003102:Colloids; D013004:Somatostatin; D002244:Carbon; D015054:Zymosan; D005682:Gadolinium