Effects of phorbol ester on cholecystokinin octapeptide-evoked exocrine pancreatic secretion in the rat

1. A comparative study was made of the effect of the phorbol ester, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) on cholecystokinin octapeptide-evoked exocrine pancreatic secretion in the anaesthetized rat and isolated permeabilized pancreatic acinar cells. 2. Cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK8; 0.10-6.40 nmol (kg body weight)-1) induced dose-dependent increases in pancreatic juice flow, total protein output and amylase release in the anaesthetized rat. 3. Administration of TPA (10(-8) mol (kg body weight)-1) in combination with CCK8 resulted in marked attenuation of the CCK8-evoked secretory response. 4. Simultaneous injection of polymyxin B (10(-8) mol (kg body weight)-1), an inhibitor of protein kinase C, with TPA and CCK8 reversed the inhibitory effect of the phorbol ester on CCK8-induced pancreatic juice flow, total protein output and amylase release. 5. In permeabilized rat pancreatic acini CCK8 (10(-13)-10(-9) M) elicited dose-dependent increases in [3H]leucine-labelled protein secretion (3H-labelled protein release). Combining TPA (10(-8) M) with CCK8 resulted in an inhibition of the CCK8-induced 3H-labelled protein release especially at lower concentrations of CCK8. At higher concentrations of CCK8, TPA was unable to inhibit the CCK8-evoked 3H-labelled protein release. Again, polymyxin B reversed the TPA-induced inhibition of CCK8-evoked 3H-labelled protein output. 6. The results indicate that protein kinase C activation may play an important physiological role in modulating the CCK8-evoked secretory response in rat pancreas in vivo and in vitro.