[Level of amino acids in blood plasma as a test for exocrine pancreatic function]

A well known in physiology fact is that stimulation with enterohormones (secretin, cholecystokinin) causes a steep increase in the synthesis of pancreatic enzymes, and this might affect the plasma level of amino acids. In view of this, this level was studied in healthy subjects and patients with chronic pancreatitis. Hormonal stimulation was observed to cause in healthy subjects a significant rapid fall of the levels of all amino acids, which was greatest in the 20th minute. A less evident fall of the amino acid level was observed in chronic pancreatitis. A high correlation was noted (r = 0.9) between the value of amino acid fall in plasma and the degree of failure of the exocrine pancreatic function measured with the NBT-PABA test. All results are an encouraging indication that plasma amino acid level fall may be used for the assessment of the pancreatic exocrine potential. In the analysis of individual amino acids the most significant fall was noted of methionine, serine, valine, isoleucine, glutamine and tyrosine.