[Nervous system regulation of exocrine pancreatic secretion in the chicken]

Acute assays were carried out using broiler chickens in which a reentry catheter had previously been placed chronically in the main pancreatic duct. Samples of pancreatic juice were collected after manoeuvres of blockage and stimulation with different neurotransmitters and blocking agents, both cholinergic and adrenergic, as well as electrical stimulation of the left vagosympathetic trunk. Stimulation of the vagus nerve induced a marked increase in the pancreatic flow but with no changes in the enzyme content. Acetylcholine was seen to cause a slight but significant increase in pancreatic flow and a non-significant increase in amylase activity. The drop in the flow of pancreatic juice in response to adrenaline was not very sensitive to adrenergic blockers. The effect of adrenaline on pancreatic secretion cannot be attributed to vascular changes.