Table 2.

Role of CCK in health and disease.

Target Organs	Physiological Functions	Pathophysiological Conditions
Gallbladder	Gallbladder contraction and emptying; bile emulsifies dietary fat and aids the digestion and absorption of cholesterol, fatty acids, and fat-soluble vitamins.	Gallbladder hypomotility; gallbladder stasis; biliary sludge; gallstone formation; impaired bile-induced emulsion of dietary fat and the digestion and absorption of cholesterol, fatty acids, and fat-soluble vitamins.
Biliary tract	Sphincter of Oddi relaxation.	Bile release into the intestine.
Pancreas	Secretion of pancreatic enzymes such as pancreatic amylase, chymotrypsinogen, and trypsinogen; pancreatic exocrine secretion.	Impaired digestion and absorption of dietary fat, protein, carbohydrate, cholesterol, bile salts, and fat-soluble vitamins; pancreatitis; reduced pancreatic exocrine secretion.
Liver	Bile flow and hepatic secretion mainly as bicarbonate from hepatic ductular cells.	Reduced bile formation.
Stomach	Gastric emptying and acid secretion; relaxation of the gastric corpus.	Delayed gastric emptying and delivery of food to the duodenum; increased resistance to flow of chyme across the pyloric sphincter of stomach; impaired digestion of dietary fat and protein.
Esophagus	Relaxation of lower esophageal sphincter tone.	Impaired esophageal motility.
Small intestine	Small intestinal transit. Secretion of several small intestinal enzymes such as alkaline phosphatase, disaccharidase and enterokinase.	Slow small intestinal transit, impaired digestion and absorption of dietary fat, protein, carbohydrate, cholesterol, bile salts, and fat-soluble vitamins.
Colon	Colonic motility.	Slow colonic motility.
Brain	Regulation of satiety.	Food intake; obesity; anxiety; nociception.
Adipose tissue	Energy expenditure.	Obesity.