--- title: "Secretin" canonical_url: https://peptidelibrary.app/library/secretin description: "Synthetic human 27-amino-acid gastrointestinal hormone approved as a diagnostic agent to stimulate pancreatic secretions, to stimulate gastrin secretion in suspected gastrinoma, and to aid identification of the ampulla during endoscopy." updated: 2026-11-07 publisher: Peptide Library notice: "Research and educational use only. Not medical advice." --- # Secretin Secretin is an FDA-approved gastrointestinal hormone in the Secretin Receptor Agonist class. Secretin is released by duodenal S cells in response to acid and binds the secretin receptor on pancreatic ductal cells, raising cyclic AMP and driving bicarbonate-rich fluid secretion that neutralises gastric acid. Synthetic human 27-amino-acid gastrointestinal hormone approved as a diagnostic agent to stimulate pancreatic secretions, to stimulate gastrin secretion in suspected gastrinoma, and to aid identification of the ampulla during endoscopy. ## Classification - Type: FDA-approved gastrointestinal hormone - Mechanism class: Secretin Receptor Agonist - Development stage: Approved product - Regulatory class: FDA-approved medicine ## Mechanism Secretin is released by duodenal S cells in response to acid and binds the secretin receptor on pancreatic ductal cells, raising cyclic AMP and driving bicarbonate-rich fluid secretion that neutralises gastric acid. In gastrinoma the normal inhibitory response is reversed and gastrin paradoxically rises, which is what the diagnostic test detects. ## Properties - Molecular formula: C130H219N43O42 - Molecular weight: 3,056.4 g/mol - CAS number: 1393-25-5 - Studied routes: Intravenous ## Evidence - Evidence level: FDA Approved - Highest documented: Regulatory review (FDA label) - Human trials: 0 - Controlled human trials: 0 - Preclinical sources: 0 Each step shows whether the sources Peptide Library has reviewed include that kind of research. Counts are reviewed sources, not every study ever published. Reviews and programme summaries that describe human use are shown as "reported", not as trials, and registered trials without published results are listed but not counted. A higher step means research has progressed further; it does not mean a compound works better or is safer. Compounds whose evidence has not been reviewed yet show "Not reviewed" instead of a guess. ### Studies 1. CHIRHOSTIM (human secretin) for injection — FDA prescribing information, DailyMed. Regulatory label (FDA), human. Population: Patients being tested for pancreatic exocrine dysfunction. Stimulated pancreatic bicarbonate secretion for diagnosis [Source](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=b4dfe70f-0a86-4488-9ba1-dcd8f86cbfcd) 2. CHIRHOSTIM (human secretin) for injection — FDA prescribing information, DailyMed. Regulatory label (FDA), human. Population: Patients being tested for gastrinoma, after a 12-hour fast. Stimulated gastrin release for diagnosis [Source](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=b4dfe70f-0a86-4488-9ba1-dcd8f86cbfcd) 3. CHIRHOSTIM (human secretin) for injection — FDA prescribing information, DailyMed. Regulatory label (FDA), human. Population: Patients having ERCP when the ampulla of Vater or accessory papilla is hard to identify. Visible pancreatic fluid to identify the papillae [Source](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=b4dfe70f-0a86-4488-9ba1-dcd8f86cbfcd) ## Safety Human safety basis: FDA prescribing information ## Regulatory status Secretin is an FDA-approved product for specific labelled indications. Approval does not extend to the research contexts described on this page, and approved products are prescription medicines. - FDA status: Approved - Availability: Prescription-Only ## Frequently asked questions ### What is Secretin? Synthetic human 27-amino-acid gastrointestinal hormone approved as a diagnostic agent to stimulate pancreatic secretions, to stimulate gastrin secretion in suspected gastrinoma, and to aid identification of the ampulla during endoscopy. ### How does Secretin work? Secretin is released by duodenal S cells in response to acid and binds the secretin receptor on pancreatic ductal cells, raising cyclic AMP and driving bicarbonate-rich fluid secretion that neutralises gastric acid. In gastrinoma the normal inhibitory response is reversed and gastrin paradoxically rises, which is what the diagnostic test detects. ### Is Secretin FDA approved? Yes. Secretin is approved by the FDA, and approved products are prescription medicines. Approval is always for specific indications studied in clinical trials, so an approved status does not mean the compound is approved for every use it is discussed for. Research-chemical material sold under the same name is not the approved product. FDA's compounding lists show 503A Category 3: Nominated without adequate support. ### What peptides are similar to Secretin? Compounds most often compared with Secretin include Teduglutide, Linaclotide, Plecanatide and Larazotide. They are grouped by shared mechanism or research area rather than by equivalence, and their regulatory status and evidence base differ. ## References - [Secretin modulates appetite via brown adipose tissue-brain axis — Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging, 2023](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36764966/) - [A phase II trial of human secretin infusion for refractory type B pain in chronic pancreatitis — Pancreas, 2013](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23548879/) - [Pleiotropic Effects of Secretin: A Potential Drug Candidate in the Treatment of Obesity? — Front Endocrinol (Lausanne), 2021](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34671320/) - [Functional Role of the Secretin/Secretin Receptor Signaling During Cholestatic Liver Injury — Hepatology, 2020](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32737904/) - [Distribution and Functional Implication of Secretin in Multiple Brain Regions — J Mol Neurosci, 2019](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29882022/)