Variations in the Sulfation of Circulating Gastrins in Gastrointestinal Diseases

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Abstract
The basal concentrations of sulfated and nonsulfated gastrins in serum were measured radioimmunochemically in healthy subjects and in normo- and hyper-gastrinemic diseases. The degree of sulfation in patients with duodenal and gastric ulcer, chronic pancreatitis, gallstone disease and chronic renal failure were similar to that of healthy controls, in whom 37.7 .+-. 1.9% (mean .+-. SEM [standard error of the mean]) of serum gastrins were sulfated. In 8 patients with the Zollinger-Ellison syndromes, 57 .+-. 5.4% of the gastrins were sulfated (P < 0.005, compared with controls). In patients with pernicious anemia (n = 20) only 24.4 .+-. 2.0% of the gastrins were sulfated (P < 0.005, compared with controls). An inverse correlation (r = -0.63, P < 0.01) was found between the degree of sulfation and the total gastrin concentration in pernicious anemia but not in gastrinoma patients. Diseases with increased synthesis of gastrin are apparently accompanied by an abnormal degree of sulfation.