cholecystokinin

cholecystokinin (CCK), a digestive hormone released with secretin when food from the stomach reaches the first part of the small intestine (duodenum). Cholecystokinin and pancreozymin were once considered two separate hormones because two distinct actions had been described: the release of enzymes from the pancreas, an action ascribed to pancreozymin; and the contraction of the gallbladder, which forces bile into duodenum, an action ascribed to cholecystokinin. However, today these two actions are recognized as belonging to one enzyme, now known solely as cholecystokinin.

Cholecystokinin is secreted by cells of the upper small intestine. Its secretion is stimulated by the introduction of hydrochloric acid, amino acids, or fatty acids into the stomach or duodenum. Cholecystokinin stimulates the gallbladder to contract and release stored bile into the intestine. It also stimulates the secretion of pancreatic juice and may induce satiety. There are several hypotheses regarding cholecystokinin’s ability to induce satiety. One hypothesis is that meal-induced secretion of cholecystokinin activates the satiety center of the hypothalamus in the brain so that the person feels full and stops eating. A second hypothesis is that, because cholecystokinin inhibits emptying of the stomach, the sensation of satiety may be the result of distension of the stomach.