Serum gastrin and gastric enterochromaffin-like cells during estrous cycle, pregnancy and lactation, and in response to estrogen-like agents in rats
Histamine-containing enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cells are numerous in the gastric mucosa. They operate under the. control of gastrin. ECL-cell tumors (gastric carcinoids) may arise as a consequence of sustained hypergastrinemia. For reasons unknown, such tumors have a female preponderance both in laboratory animals and humans. The present study consisted of four experiments exploring the possibil
