Allopurinol stimulates pancreatic exocrine secretion in the dog

The effects of allopurinol on the secretion of pancreatic juice were investigated both in live animals and in preparations of isolated, blood-perfused dog pancreas and were compared with those of secretin. An i.v. administration of allopurinol (3-10 mg/kg) caused a dose-dependent increase in the pancreatic secretion. The secretory responses to 3 and 10 mg/kg of allopurinol were approximately equal to those to 0.03 and 0.1 U/kg of secretin, respectively. An intra-arterial (i.a.) infusion of allopurinol (0.5-1.2 mg/min) also elicited dose-dependent increases in flow rates, bicarbonate concentrations, and outputs of pancreatic exocrine secretion, but protein concentrations were little affected by allopurinol. Similar results were obtained in the juice induced by an i.a. infusion of secretin (0.012-0.05 U/min). Both bicarbonate and protein concentrations in the juice obtained with allopurinol were almost the same as those obtained with secretin at a similar flow rate of pancreatic secretion. The secretory activities at 0.5, 1.0, and 1.2 mg/min of i.a. allopurinol infusion corresponded roughly to those at 0.012, 0.025, and 0.05 U/min of i.a. secretin infusion, respectively. Therefore, the secretory action of allopurinol was similar to that of secretin. The allopurinol-induced secretion was not modified by pretreatment with atropine sulfate, cimetidine, or sulpiride hydrochloride. These results suggest that allopurinol stimulates pancreatic secretion by acting directly on ductular cells of the dog pancreas.