Inhibitory effects of β-adrenergic agonists on gastric acid secretion in dogs

We evaluated the effect of two β-adrenergic agonists, isoproterenol (nonselective agonist) and terbutaline (selective β₂-agonist), on gastric acid secretion stimulated by intravenous pentagastrin, bethanechol, or histamine in dogs with gastric fistulas. Intravenous infusion of isoproterenol or terbutaline inhibited pentagastrin-stimulated acid secretion to a significantly greater extent than they inhibited bethanechol- or histamine-stimulated acid secretion. For example, isoproterenol (12 μg.kg^-1.h^-1) reduced mean pentagastrin-, bethanechol-, and histamine-stimulated acid output by 86, 63, and 14%, respectively. Percent inhibition of acid secretion with terbutaline (30 μg.kg^-1.h^-1) averaged 60, 17, and 24% for pentagastrin, bethanechol, and histamine, respectively. Terbutaline also inhibited pentagastrin-stimulated acid secretion from vagally denervated fundic pouches in a dose-related manner. Plasma somatostatin-like immunoreactivity was significantly higher during infusion of terbutaline plus pentagastrin than during infusion of pentagastrin alone. However, an intravenous infusion of 0.3 μg.kg^-1.h^-1 somatostatin-14 had no effect on pentagastrin-stimulated acid secretion from the gastric fistula, even though this infusion increased plasma somatostatin-like immunoreactivity to the same extent as terbutaline plus pentagastrin infusion. Thus the amount of somatostatin released during terbutaline infusion was not sufficient to explain the inhibition of pentagastrin-stimulated acid secretion observed.