EFFECTS OF CHOLECYSTOKININ RECEPTOR ANTAGONIST LOXIGLUMIDE ON RAT EXOCRINE PANCREAS

Effects of long-term administration of the cholecystokinin receptor antagonist loxiglumide on exocrine pancreas were studied in adult rats. Plasma concentrations of loxiglumide at 8 h after a single subcutaneous injection of 50 mg/kg body weight of loxiglumide were 3.2 +/- 0.8 mu g/ml, which were comparable to those at 12 h after oral administration of the same dose (3.7 +/- 0.9 mu g/ml). Eight hours' prior subcutaneous injection of loxiglumide (50 mg/kg body weight) significantly suppressed pancreatic exocrine secretion stimulated by an intravenous bolus injection of 50 ng/kg body weight caerulein compared with the control rats. Based on these results, in the first experiment, loxiglumide at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight was given subcutaneously three times a day (low dose) for 6 days to adult rats fed a standard laboratory diet. Low dose of loxiglumide significantly decreased pancreatic wet weight (-14%) and pancreatic contents of protein (-26%), trypsin (-38%), and lipase (-68%), while having no significant effect on pancreatic contents of DNA and amylase. In the second experiment, three times higher dose of loxiglumide (150 mg/kg body weight) was given by an orogastric tube twice daily for 6 days. High dose of loxiglumide significantly decreased pancreatic weight (-11%) and contents of protein (-20%) and DNA (-22%), whereas it significantly increased amylase (+92%) and trypsin content (+20%). These results indicate that loxiglumide has different effects on rat exocrine pancreas depending on the doses administered and suggest that the concentration of circulating CCK required for the induction of hyperplasia and enzyme secretion is lower than that required for the induction of hypertrophy and enzyme synthesis.