Somatostatin has been reported to control upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage, prevent restraint stress-induced gastric ulcerations, and inhibit gastric acid secretion. In this study we examined the effect of somatostatin on basal and pentagastrin-stimulated gastric acid output and mucosal blood flow. Antral and corpus mucosal blood flows were measured by hydrogen gas clearance in fasted, anesthetized rats. Acid output was determined by a continuous gastric perfusion technique. In the basal study somatostatin in doses of 8, 16, and 32 micrograms . kg-1 . h-1 was infused intravenously in separate groups of animals. In the pentagastrin stimulation study somatostatin (16 micrograms . kg-1 . h-1) was infused after gastric acid output was stimulated to plateau by intravenous pentagastrin (19.8 micrograms . kg-1 . h-1). The results showed that somatostatin had no effect on basal corpus or antral mucosal blood flow. During pentagastrin stimulation somatostatin decreased acid secretion but increased corpus mucosal blood flow. We speculate that this increase in blood flow may not be a direct effect as basal corpus or antral mucosal blood flow was unaffected by somatostatin.