The mechanism by which partly digested protein (peptone) stimulates gastrin secretion was examined in isolated antral tissues with intact intramural innervation. In the isolated vascularly perfused rat stomach, luminal perfusion with 0.5% peptone increased gastrin (62 +/- 14 pg/min; P less than 0.01) and decreased somatostatin (74 +/- 19; P less than 0.01) secretion. The axonal blocker tetrodotoxin (TTX) abolished the gastrin and somatostatin responses indicating that the responses were neurally mediated. Atropine partly inhibited the gastrin response (50%) and converted the somatostatin response to an increase above basal level. The selective bombesin/gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) antagonist [Leu13-psi(CH2NH)-Leu14]-bombesin partly inhibited the gastrin response (65%) and caused a further decrease in somatostatin secretion. A combination of atropine and the bombesin/GRP antagonist, like TTX, abolished the gastrin and somatostatin responses. The pattern of response to peptone in superfused antral segments was identical to that in the vascularly perfused stomach. In fundic segments that do not secrete gastrin, the somatostatin response to peptone alone and with various antagonists was identical to that in antral segments. The results indicate that peptone stimulates gastrin secretion by activating stimulatory cholinergic and bombesin/GRP neurons. Cholinergic neurons stimulate gastrin directly as well as indirectly by eliminating the inhibitory paracrine influence of somatostatin.