Postprandial serum gastrin concentrations in normal foals.

The research studied the gastrin concentration in the serum of young foals after feeding, observing changes across different age stages: one day, one week, one month, and three months. It was found that the post-feeding gastrin concentration increased up to the age of one month but did not show any increase at three months, the reasons for which are yet to be determined.

Study Design and Methodology

• The research involved a group of six foals which were studied at one day, one week, one month and three months of age.
• Before testing, each foal was prevented from feeding for a period of two hours and was then allowed to suckle for fifteen minutes.
• Blood samples were drawn at designated intervals: at the commencement of feeding and every thirty minutes for a subsequent duration of three hours.

Results

• The concentration of gastrin— a hormone that stimulates the production of gastric acid— in the foals’ serum increased post feeding at one day, one week, and one month, with the greatest increase detected at one day of age.
• The average pre-feeding gastrin concentrations were reported as follows: 25.2 pg/ml at one day, 22.8 pg/ml at one week, 15.2 pg/ml at one month, and 15.6 pg/ml at three months.
• The highest average post-feeding gastrin concentrations were recorded at 60 minutes after feeding, specifically in one-day-old and one-month-old foals. These were measured to be 47.4 pg/ml and 25.2 pg/ml, respectively.
• Interestingly, there was no notable post-feeding increase in serum gastrin concentrations in foals at the age of three months.

Conclusion and Future Study Direction

• The precise reasons for the observed changes in postprandial serum gastrin concentrations remain unknown and open to further research exploration.
• Possible influential factors could incorporate the maturation process of G cell function (the cells in the stomach that secrete gastrin), changes in gastrin metabolism and excretion, and evolving changes in gastrointestinal mobility with increasing age.