AJP - Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, Vol 241, Issue 1 37-G42, Copyright © 1981 by American Physiological Society
Interaction of hydrocortisone and caerulein on pancreatic size and composition in the rat
J. Morisset, L. Jolicoeur, P. Genik and A. Lord
To determine the effects of hydrocortisone and caerulein (separately and in
combination) on the exocrine pancreas of suckling, recently weaned,
growing, and adult rats, we administered hydrocortisone (0.5 mg/100 g body
wt), caerulein (1 microgram/kg), and a combination of these two hormones
for 3 days. The rats were killed, and the pancreas was weighed and analyzed
for DNA, protein, amylase, and chymotrypsinogen. Caerulein alone was
associated with significant decreases in amylase, chymotrypsinogen, and
protein concentration in suckling rats; after weaning, it produced
significant increases of these same parameters, representative of
pancreatic hypertrophy. Hydrocortisone caused significant increases in DNA
content and enzyme and protein concentrations in suckling rats; after
weaning, the steroid significantly decreased DNA content in 26-day-old
rats, but increases in enzyme and protein concentration were observed.
Using an increase in DNA content as an index of hyperplasia and cellular
mass and enzyme and protein concentrations as indices of hypertrophy, we
conclude that over a 3-day period 1) caerulein produced pancreatic
hypertrophy after weaning while potentiating the hyperplastic and
hypertrophic action of hydrocortisone in suckling rats; and 2)
hydrocortisone potentiated the hypertrophic effect of caerulein after
weaning. The data suggest that these two hormones may regulate acinar cell
proliferation and enzyme synthesis of the exocrine pancreas.
