Abstract
We tested whether chronic reserpine treatment disturbed the exocrine pancreatic development of suckling rats. Rat pups (4 days old) were given reserpine (R) (50 μg/kg i.p.) or vehicle (C) daily until sacrifice at 14 or 21 days of age. R pups showed significant decreases in body weights (wt). The decreases in pancreatic wt were proportionally less than the decrease in body wt as the pancreatic wt/100 g body wt were larger in R pups. At 14 days of age, pancreatic contents of amylase, trypsinogen, and lipase were not different between R and C pups, but the enzyme contents/100 g body wt in the R pups were higher. At 21 days of age (weaning), pancreatic contents of all 3 enzymes in the R pups were less than those of C pups but the characteristic pattern of enzyme accumulation was retained. Hydrocortisol treatment at 14 days of age precociously increased pancreatic enzymes in both R and C pups. A decrease in pancreatic secretion in the R pups was evident in vivo as they have intestinal contents of pancreatic enzymes lower than in the C pups. In vitro studies using dispersed pancreatic acini also showed a 50% reduction in the release of amylase in the R group as stimulated by carbachol and octapeptide of cholecystokinin. These results suggest that chronic reserpine treatment of suckling rats did not cause significant disturbance in the developmental accumulation of pancreatic exocrine enzymes other than a slight delay. A definite reduction in stimulated pancreatic secretion was demonstrated.
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Lee, P., Chung, K. & Lebenthal, E. CHRONIC RESERPINATION OF SUCKLING RATS DOES NOT INTERFERE WITH THE DEVELOPMENTAL ACCUMULATION OF PANCREATIC ENZYMES. Pediatr Res 18 (Suppl 4), 141 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198404001-00287
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198404001-00287