Gastrin I (rat) has been used in a study for gastrin stimulation in rats to determine the expression of histidine decarboxylase and histamine metabolism in gastric oxyntic mucosa during conditions of hypergastrinemia and carcinoid tumor. It has also been used for preabsorption of anti-gastrin antibody prior to immunohistochemical assay in rats.
Gastrin plays a crucial role in the maintenance of architecture and function of oxyntic mucosa of stomach, which is involved in the secretion of acid. It also triggers the secretion of acid into the gastric lumen. Continuous increased plasma levels of gastrin or hypergastrinemia, may be involved in gastrointestinal carcinogenesis, especially if it is accompanied with inflammation. The release of this peptide is suppressed during distention, which is a result of omatostatin and intrinsic cholinergic pathways. In rats, this peptide maintains gastric mucosal integrity through the up-regulation of cyclooxygenase-2 which is, in part, mediated by heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF).
