Role of the kidney in gastrin metabolism.

Fasting blood gastrin level among various clinical entities was measured by means of radioimmunoassay. Hypergastrinemia of various degrees was found in some cases of chronic renal failure. During angiography arteriovenous difference of gastrin level was investigated in the kidney in 22 patients without renal diseases. The high rate of gastrin removal from the blood circulation by the kidney was also confirmed in the synthetic human gastrin 1-17 (SHG 1-17) infusion experiment in dogs. In this study, hypergastrinemia seen in renal diseases was thought to be caused partly by impaired gastrin metabolism in the kidney.