Abstract

The gastric acid response to graded doses of insulin given by continuous infusion was studied in four dogs, each surgically provided with a gastric fistula. All doses of insulin resulted in a prolonged plateau of hypoglycaemia and the degree of hypoglycaemia correlated significantly (p <0·05) with the insulin dose, up to 0·15 u/kg hr. Similarly, graded doses of insulin (up to 0·15 u/kg hr) produced graded acid responses and both the peak acid output and the total acid output correlated significantly with blood glucose changes. No initial inhibitory phase of acid secretion followed the start of the infusion, but a dose-related delay in the onset of the acid response was observed. Our results indicate that insulin provides a quantitative glycopenic stimulus producing a quantitative vagal acid response.