| Abstract: | Gastric mucosal blood flow in the rat was determined by the indicator fractionation technique 86RbCl. Antral and corpus flow rates were determined after increasing periods of fasting, and the effect of vagotomy was assessed. The physiological stimulus of food in the stomach markedly increased antral as well as corpus blood flow, and after vagotomy lower flow rates were recorded in all parts of the stomach. With progressive starvation, the antral:corpus flow ratio decreased. The findings suggest that the antrum plays an active role in response to a physiological stimulus and may, as has been suggested by others, contribute to the control of parietal cell blood flow and secretion. |
