Nervous control of pancreatic endocrine secretion in pigs. III. The effect of acetylcholine on the pancreatic secretion of insulin and glucagon.

We studied the effect of intraarterial administration of acetylcholine on insulin and glucagon secretion in anesthetized splanchnicotomized pigs and on insulin, glucagon, and pancreatic polypeptide secretion from the isolated perfused porcine pancreas and the isolated perfused duodeno-pancreatic block of pigs and dogs. In the pigs acetylcholine stimulated insulin and glucagon secretion in a glucose dependent manner similar to vagal stimulation; however, the response was completely resistant to hexamethonium and abolished by atropine. Acetylcholine stimulated insulin and pancreatic polypeptide secretion of the isolated perfused porcine pancreas, and inhibited glucagon secretion, whether the duodenum was present or not, whereas the glucagon secretion of the isolated perfused canine pancreas was stimulated by acetylcholine.