Recent advances in the regulation of pancreatic secretion

This review highlights recent progress made in the field of pancreatic secretion.

This review summarizes a number of recent studies demonstrating the intracellular pathways by which hormones and neural inputs regulate pancreatic exocrine and endocrine secretion. In particular, the effects of vasoactive intestinal peptide and secretin on intra-acinar cell adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate are explored. Considerable attention is paid to regulation of β-cell function and includes studies detailing the mechanisms of regulation of insulin by somatostatin, serotonin, and melanocortins. These studies emphasize the critical role that hormonal, paracrine, and neural factors play in glucose homeostasis.

Exocrine and endocrine pancreatic secretions are regulated by hormonal and neural mechanisms, and understanding these pathways will enable the discovery and design of new and improved therapies for prevention and control of diabetes and perhaps exocrine insufficiency.