BACKGROUND
The purpose of the present study was to determine whether vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) is released from the tumor cells of VIPoma and if so then to attempt to show how its release is regulated by cultured human VIPoma cells.
METHODS
A resected specimen of a pancreatic tumor from a patient with watery diarrhea, hypokalemia, and achrohydria syndrome was examined. The dissociated cells were obtained by collagenase digestion of the tumor tissue and were cultured in vitro.
RESULTS
The extraction of tumor cells disclosed that the cells contained VIP and pancreatic polypeptide (PP). Neither insulin, glucagon, somatostatin nor pancreastatin was detected. Immunohistochemically, 40% to 60% of the cells in the tumor stained positively for VIP and 1% to 5% stained positively for PP. The dissociated cells became reaggregated in the culture (50 to 300 microns) and could be maintained in vitro. Incubation experiments revealed a simultaneous in vitro release of VIP and PP with a significant increase by either carbachol or phorbol myristate acetate but not by theophylline or caerulein. Atropine completely abolished the stimulatory effects of carbachol on VIP and PP release. Octreotide (somatostatin analogue [SMS 201-995]) significantly inhibited the carbachol and phorbol myristate acetate-stimulated VIP and PP release.
CONCLUSIONS
These findings show the in vitro release of VIP and PP from the VIPoma cells and also provide evidence for the direct inhibitory effect of somatostatin analogue on both the VIP and PP release from the tumor cells.