[New views on gastrointestinal hormones]

In addition to established gastrointestinal hormones--secretin, cholecystokinin-pancreozymin (CCK-PZ), gastrin, and glucagon---some 30 polypeptides with gastrointestinal actions can be listed. New aspects of these substances include the following: Gastrin and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) can be also encountered in the central nervous system and may act as transmitters. CCK-PZ-serum concentrations are found markedly elevated in patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency; this may provide the opportunity to establish a realtively simple screening test. Moreover, there is evidence that serum-CCK-PZ levels serve as satiety signal. Secretin secretion is said to be enhanced in hunger and then to act as a lipolytic hormone. In addition to enteroglucagon, a gastrintestinal peptide identical to pancreatic glucagon has been detected. Gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) inhibits gastric secretion and motility (enterogastrone activity) and together with glucose it stimulates insulin release (incretin activity). Motilin increases lower esophageal sphincter pressure, enhances gastric pepsin secretion and slows down gastric evacuation. Serum levels of pancreatic polypeptide may be found elevated as a diagnostic index in patients with endocrine peptide tumors of the pancreas. Recently, the potential importance of local (paracrine) actions of gastrointestinal polypeptides has been amphasized. Predominantly paracrine activity is exhibited by some prototype hormones, e.g. somatostatin, substance P, bombesian, and the non-polypeptide compounds, prostaglandins.