Concentration and Secretion of Gastric Somatostatin in Streptozotocin-diabetic Rats

Both the release and the content of gastric somatostatin were investigated in streptozotocin-diabetic rats. Fundic and antral somatostatin contents were both increased in streptozotocin-diabetic rats compared with control animals. Basal somatostatin levels in the perfusates of streptozotocin-treated animals were not significantly different from those of the control animals. However, the peak values of somatostatin release induced by 5 × 10⁻⁹ M glucagon in the diabetic animals were significantly higher than those of the controls. These results lead us to conclude that a hyperfunctioning state of the gastric D-Cells exists in hypoinsulinemic diabetes.