Total Nitrogen Content of Human Duodenal Juice Before and after Intravenous Injection of Secretin

Abstract

The property of secretin to alter the total nitrogen content of duodenal juice was evaluated in 27 patients.

The mean concentration of total nitrogen was about 100 ml of duodenal juice before secretin stimulation and dropped to about the half after secretin. In patients with pathological values of volume or bicarbonate concentration after secretin injection, the decrease in total nitrogen concentration following stimulation was significantly less.

The average value of total nitrogen concentration and that evaluated from total protein determination were 100 mg and 10–20 mg/100 ml respectively. This discrepancy may be explained by a rapid degradation of the proteins in the duodenal juice.

The total nitrogen determination was inferior to the estimation of bicarbonate concentration in differentiating between a normal and pathological pancreatic function, but similar to that of volume rate and superior to the estimation of amylase activity.

Before secretin stimulation a highly significant correlation was found between the concentrations of total nitrogen and those of total protein and amylase activity. After stimulation a slighter significant correlation only was found between the concentrations of total nitrogen and total protein in the first 20-minute post-secretin period.

Index-words:

• Duodenum
• pancreas
• pancreatic juice
• pancreatic diseases
• nitrogen
• secretin