Bioassay and Radioimmunoassay of Gastrin and Significance of Gastrin Degradation Products

Abstract

Inactivation of gastrin was studied in vitro by incubation with a high-speed supernatant fraction of rat small bowel mucosa and in vivo by perfusing gastrin through the small bowel vascular bed in anesthetized dogs. There was a highly significant loss in the bioactivity of gastrin but no significant change in its immunoreactivity. Gastrin was inactivated by a subtle chemical change which rendered the molecule biologically inactive yet left its immunoreactivity unimpaired.