Response of exocrine pancreatic secretion to CCK in adrenalectomized rats

A study was made of the effect of adrenalectomy over different periods of time (6, 15 and 21 days) on exocrine pancreatic secretion in the rat in basal conditions and under stimulation with CCK. It was observed that adrenalectomy does not alter the rate of pancreatic flow but the response capacity to CCK is depressed. The secretion of total protein and amylase decreases significantly after sixth day, reaching the lowest levels after 21 days. Despite this, after 6 days the adrenalectomized rats showed the same capacity of response to CCK as the non-adrenalectomized animals, while after longer periods of time (15 and 21 days) the response to CCK was inhibited. The fact that the lack of glucocorticoids prevents the maturation of zymogen granules seems to be the main reason why the acinar cells do not increase protein secretion in response to CCK at 15 and 21 days after adrenalectomy. It is concluded that the sensitivity of exocrine pancreas to CCK and the amount of zymogen granules in the acinar cells decrease as a function of the time over which the animals are deprived of glucocorticoids.