Acute and long-term changes of ornithine decarboxylase and polyamines during pancreatic adaptation in response to cholecystokinin administration (1 microgram kg-1 body wt every 8 h) were studied in rats. alpha-difluoromethylornithine, an irreversible and specific inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase, was applied simultaneously to elucidate the essential role of polyamines in pancreatic growth. In the cholecystokinin-treated animals ornithine decarboxylase activity was increased after 2 h, reached a maximum after 8 h (444.6 pmol 14CO2 h-1 mg-1 DNA, about 65-fold greater than controls, P less than 0.001) followed by a significant increase of putrescine after 6 h and spermidine after 24 h while spermine remained unchanged. The trophic parameters increased in the following time sequence: thymidine kinase (12 h), DNA polymerase (24 h), pancreatic weight (2 days), protein (2 days) and DNA (5 days). alpha-difluoromethylornithine significantly delayed the increase in ornithine decarboxylase, putrescine and spermidine as well as all trophic parameters. Increases in ornithine decarboxylase, polyamines and all trophic parameters were completely inhibited by simultaneous application of the CCK receptor antagonist L-364,718. These data indicate an important role for ornithine decarboxylase and polyamines in cholecystokinin-induced pancreatic growth in rats.