Effect of somatostatin on salivary secretion in man

Intravenous infusion of pentagastrin increases salivary secretion progressively at doses from 1 to 4 micrograms/kg body weight/h. Pentagastrin also stimulates salivary secretion of amylase. Simultaneous administration of somatostatin, at the dose that inhibits gastric secretion of pentagastrin-stimulated HCl, blocks the effect of pentagastrin on salivary flow, while it does not reduce the amylase concentration. The data suggest that different mechanisms underlie the effects exerted by pentagastrin on salivary flow and on the concentration of amylase in saliva.