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Galanin release during pancreatic nerve stimulation is sufficient to influence islet function
1Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle.
The American Journal of Physiology
|January 11, 1989
Summary
Nerve stimulation releases galanin in the pancreas, impacting insulin, somatostatin, and glucagon secretion. Direct galanin infusion mimicked these effects, confirming its role in pancreatic hormone regulation.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Neuroscience
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Galanin's role in pancreatic function is not fully understood.
- Pancreatic neural activation influences hormone secretion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate galanin release during pancreatic neural stimulation.
- To determine if released galanin affects pancreatic hormone secretion.
Main Methods:
- Electrical stimulation of mixed autonomic pancreatic nerves in dogs.
- Measurement of galanin-like immunoreactivity (GLIR) in pancreatic venous and arterial plasma using radioimmunoassay.
- Comparison of endogenous galanin release with exogenous synthetic galanin infusion.
Main Results:
- Mixed pancreatic nerve stimulation (MPNS) significantly increased pancreatic venous GLIR and pancreatic spillover.
- MPNS inhibited insulin and somatostatin secretion while stimulating glucagon secretion.
- Exogenous galanin infusion at rates mimicking MPNS-induced spillover replicated the observed changes in hormone secretion.
Conclusions:
- Galanin is released from the pancreas during neural activation.
- Released galanin plays a significant role in modulating pancreatic endocrine secretion, affecting insulin, somatostatin, and glucagon.
- These findings highlight galanin as a key neurohormonal regulator within the pancreas.