THE ROLE OF CCK AND ITS ANALOGS IN THE ORGANOGENESIS OF THE FETAL-RAT PANCREAS

The gastrointestinal peptide cholecystokinin (CCK) has been shown to stimulate pancreatic growth in the adolescent and adult rat. However, little is known about the role of gastrointestinal hormones in the regulation of organ formation during fetal development. We therefore examined the effects of the CCK receptor antagonist devazepide (25 mu g/h) and an antigastrin/CCK monoclonal immunoglobulin G on the maternal and fetal rat pancreas. These substances were infused subcutaneously with minipumps in female rats during the entire period of gestation. At the end of gestation, the rats were killed and the pancreata of the dams and their litter were examined for DNA and protein. In the dams, the receptor antagonist and the antibody against CCK/gastrin had no effect. In the newborns, the CCK receptor antagonist led to a significant reduction of the protein and DNA concentration [protein in controls, 105.0 +/- 3.75 mu g/mg pancreatic tissue; in the antagonist group, 91.9 +/- 4.2 mu g/mg pancreatic tissue (p < 0.05); DNA in controls, 1.28 +/- 0.19 mu g/mg pancreatic tissue; in the antagonist group, 0.48 +/- 0.06 mu g/mg pancreatic tissue (p < 0.05) (mean +/- SEM)]. Immune neutralization of CCK/gastrin in the maternal-fetal circulation induced a reduction of the protein concentration in the fetal pancreas (85.3 +/- 3.06 mu g/mg pancreatic tissue; p < 0.01) but had no effect on fetal pancreatic DNA. Additional experiments indicated effective concentrations of the CCK receptor antagonist in fetal pancreatic tissue and free binding sites of the circulating antibody. In conclusion, the study provides evidence that CCK and its analogues are involved in fetal pancreatic organogenesis.