Role of somatostatin in the human gastrointestinal tract

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Abstract
The wide distribution in the human body of somatostatin and its receptor subtype family explain the great variety of physiologic mechanisms in which this peptide hormone is involved. In the gastrointestinal tract, somatostatin modulates, mainly inhibiting, exocrine and endocrine secretion, motility, and absorption. Since its discovery, special interest has been focused on the effects of somatostatin for clinical use. With the development of synthetic analogues resistant to protease degradation, numerous therapeutic applications have been proposed. Today, somatostatin analogues are being tried, despite a clear scientific demonstration of efficacy of somatostatin in various clinical conditions. This article presents an update of the normal and pathologic mechanisms in which somatostatin is involved in humans.