This study was undertaken to determine the effect of reserpine on rat pancreatic growth, to evaluate if reserpine-caused alterations can be prevented by epidermal growth factor (EGF) and/or cerulein treatment, to evaluate the time course of rat pancreas recovery after reserpine, and to determine if EGF and/or cerulein treatment can accelerate such a recovery. In the first experiment, three groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-265 g) were used. Ad libitum-fed control animals received the reserpine vehicle, and one experimental group received reserpine (1 mg kg-1 day-1 for 7 days) while the other, pair-fed group received the reserpine vehicle with a reduced amount of food to result in malnourishment. Rats from each of these three groups were also assigned to one of four treatments consisting of saline, EGF (10 micrograms kg-1), cerulein (1 microgram kg-1), or a combination (same doses) twice a day for 7 days. In the morning of the 8th day, after an overnight fat, rats were killed. In the second experiment, rats were selected and treated with reserpine or the vehicle as described in experiment 1; after the 7-day treatment, a first cohort of animals was allowed a 30-day recovery period. Three other groups (an ad libitum-fed control, a pair-fed, and a reserpine group) were allowed a 6-day recovery period during which they were treated subcutaneously, twice a day, with either saline, EGF (10 micrograms kg-1), cerulein (1 microgram kg-1), or a combination (same doses). On the morning of the 31st or 7th day, after an overnight fat, rats were killed. After death, all pancreata were examined for weight and protein, amylase, chymotrypsinogen, RNA, and DNA content. In the ad libitum-fed control group, EGF caused pancreatic hypertrophy, whereas cerulein was associated with hypertrophy and hyperplasia. In the pair-fed malnourished group, the EGF effect was limited to slight increases in pancreatic weight and cell mass whereas cerulein caused hypertrophy; EGF plus cerulein caused pancreatic hyperplasia. In the reserpine group, EGF had no effect, whereas cerulein caused pancreatic hypertrophy and an increase in DNA content above the reserpine control. After 30 days of recovery, pancreata of pair-fed animals and those of reserpine-treated animals were comparable with those of the ad libitum-fed control rats with the exception of amylase levels, which remained reduced in the reserpine group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)