Amylin and the integrated control of nutrient influx

The most potent actions of amylin that occur at physiological plasma concentrations include inhibition of food intake, gastric emptying, acid and digestive enzyme secretion, and glucagon secretion. These actions share a common outcome; they each help regulate the rate at which nutrients (including glucose) appear in the blood (Ra). Amylin physiologically orchestrates, via several parallel processes, the rate of entry of nutrient into the circulation, as shown schematically in Fig. 1. In this way, amylin's function may be viewed as complementary to that of insulin (secreted from the same pancreatic beta-cells), which orchestrates the exit of nutrient from blood and its storage in peripheral tissues. The following discussion addresses the emerging picture that, although amylin is co-secreted with an endocrine hormone from endocrine tissue (the pancreatic islets), the target for its most potent and physiologically relevant effects appears to be the central nervous system. Amylin thus may be primarily regarded as a neuroendocrine hormone (Young et al., 2000).