What Does Cholecystokinin Stimulate?

The most recognised functions of this hormone are in digestion and appetite. It improves digestion by slowing down the emptying of food from the stomach and stimulating the production of bile in the liver as well as its release from the gall bladder.

What does the cholecystokinin do?

Cholecystokinin, a hormone released from endocrine cells of the upper small intestine in response to amino acids and fatty acids in chyme, has potent effects on gut smooth muscle contractility. Depending on the region of the gut, the effect of cholecystokinin may be neurally mediated, direct, or both.

What is the stimulus for cholecystokinin CCK release?

Cholecystokinin is the principle stimulus for delivery of pancreatic enzymes and bile into the small intestine. The most potent stimuli for secretion of cholecystokinin are the presence of partially-digested fats and proteins in the lumen of the duodenum (a particularly potent stimulus is pictured above).