Studies on a mechanism of enhancement of maximum gastric secretory response: its possible importance in recurrent ulcers after surgical treatment.

The determination of maximum gastric secretory response to histamine, histalog and pentagastrin is considered as the clinically most important test of gastric secretion. In man and dogs, Marks et al. [1, 2] examined whether there exists a relationship between the maximum secretory response to histamine and the parietal cell mass of the stomach and found a highly significant correlation between these two parameters. However, in a simplified interpretation of these results [3], the maximum gastric secretory response to various stimuli was set equal to the secretory capacity of the stomach, within small limits. However, in our in vivo studies with amodiaquine, a strong inhibitor of gastric histamine methyltransferase in vitro, we obtained results which are incompatible with such an hypothesis. Methods. In 8 mongrel dogs (both sexes, 14--30 kg) with Heidenhain pouches secretory tests were carried out not prior than 6 weeks after operation, in the same room, at the same time of day and the same day of the week twice a week during 10 months. First, the maximum secretory responses of the pouches to i.m. administered pentagastrin (Merck, Darmstadt) and histamine were determined by doseresponse curves and were considered to be reproducible when at least 3 consecutive stimulations with maximum doses of both substances induced the same volumes of