Low Doses of Pentagastrin Stimulate Gastric Lipase Secretion in Man

Background: Gastric lipase is an important enzyme for dietary triglyceride digestion in normal subjects. Its regulation is unknown, as is the relation between the quantity and activity of the enzyme.Methods: In a dose-response study we investigated the effect of low doses of pentagastrin (less than 1000 ng/kg/h) on the output of gastric lipase measured by a kinetic assay and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results: In five healthy volunteers stepwise intravenous pentagastrin infusions of 0, 50, 100,500, and 1000 ng/kg/h resulted in a stepwise increase in the lipase output, as measured with ELISA. However, the lipolytic activity, measured with a kinetic assay, decreased as the pH of the gastric contents decreased.Conclusion: We conclude that secretion of the gastric lipase is stimulated by pentagastrin, but the simultaneous secretion of acid counteracts the lipolytic activity of the enzyme when food is not present.