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Somatostatin is a hormone. Precisely it is mixture of two peptides, one built of 14 amino acids, the other of 28.
Somatostatin is secreted not only by cells of the hypothalamus but also by so called delta cells of stomach, intestine and pancreas. It binds to somatostatin receptors.
All actions of the hormone are inhibitory.
Somatostatin's main actions are:
- inhibits the release of growth hormone (GH)
- inhibits the release of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)
- suppresses the release of gastrointestinal hormones
- gastrin
- cholecytokinin (CCK)
- secretin
- motilin
- vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)
- gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP)
- enteroglucagon (GIP)
- prolongs gastric emptying, gall bladder contraction and intestinal motility
- suppresses the release of pancreatic hormones
- suppresses the exocrine secretory action of pancreas
Clinically useful in modulating chemotherapy-induced diarrhea.
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