Secretin, 100 years later

Abstract

One hundred years have elapsed since the discovery of secretin by Bayliss and Starling in 1902. In the past century, the research of secretin has gone by many milestones including isolation, purification and structural determination, chemical synthesis, establishment of its hormonal status by radioimmunoassay and immunoneutralization, identification of the specific receptor, cloning of secretin and its receptor, and identification of a secretin-releasing peptide. It has become clear that secretin is a hormone-regulating pancreatic exocrine secretion of fluid and bicarbonate, gastric acid secretion, and gastric motility. The release and actions of secretin is regulated by hormone-hormonal and neurohormonal interactions. The vagus nerve, particularly its afferent pathway, plays an essential role in the physiological actions of secretin. Substantial information about the property of the secretin receptor has been accumulated, but a potent secretin receptor-specific antagonist remains to be formulated. The neural regulatory mechanisms of the release and action of secretin await further elucidation. The physiological role of secretin in intestinal secretions and motility and extragastrointestinal organs remains to be defined. The presence of secretin and its receptor in the central nervous system is well documented, but its function as a neuropeptide has been recognized gradually and requires extensive study in the future.

Insignificant effect of secretin in rodent models of polycystic kidney and liver disease

“…Secretin, a 27-amino acid peptide (molecular weight: 3055.5), is released by the duodenum in response to gastric acid and digested products of fat and protein (7,11,25). Plasma concentrations of secretin in humans, rats, and dogs are in the picomolar or low nanomolar range both at baseline and following maximal stimulation after a meal (8,16,23).…”

“…Secretin and its receptor are also expressed in extra-gastrointestinal organs including the kidney, central nervous system, cardiovascular system, and lung (7,11,25). In the kidney, the function of secretin and the location of the SCTR resemble those of vasopressin and the V2 receptor.…”

MRI assessment of chronic pancreatitis

“…Secretin is a 27-amino-acid polypeptide hormone secreted by the duodenal mucosa in response to the increase in acid in the duodenal lumen after a meal (11). The primary sites of hormone action are the sphincter of Oddi, the biliary tree, and the pancreas.…”

“…This distension helps to visualize the pancreatic duct. Secretin is a safe pharmaceutical agent with a very small incidence of serious adverse effects and is easy to administer (11)(12)(13).…”

Wild-type and splice-variant secretin receptors in lung cancer: overexpression in carcinoid tumors and peritumoral lung tissue

“…6 The secretin receptor has long been known for its important digestive functions in the pancreas and biliary tract. 7 Only recently was it recognized that the secretin receptor also plays a role in pathology, namely in cancer arising from physiological secretin targets.Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas, cholangiocellular carcinomas, and gastrinomas were found to show high secretin receptor expression. …”