Ahstract. A fraction of isolated and enriched rodent, gastrin-containing G cells was prepared using a previously described technique (1) and employed to investigate the role of calcium in gastrin release in vitvo. Incubation of the enriched G cells in medium containing low extracellular calcium resulted in a significant, 20-40% increase in basal gastrin release. It was determined that hormone secretion is enhanced when the cells are incubated under basal conditions in medium containing low levels of calcium (0-0.3 mM CaCl,) and inhibited when the extracellular calcium concentration is increased above 2.4 mM. Addition of Verapamil, a drug which prevents calcium entry into isolated cells and accelerates calcium efflux, to the medium at a final concentration of 10 pM, induced a significant 2-2.5 fold increase in gastrin release. Peptone-stimulated gastrin release was not influenced by either Verapamil or incubation of the cells in calcium-free medium. The results suggest that inhibition of calcium influx or acceleration of calcium efflux from the G cell may be a critical step in the initiation of gastrin release.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.