Endocrine pancreas in the rat model of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency

A new technique to obstruct the pancreatic ducts was developed by injecting zein solution into the common bile duct of the rat. Four weeks after the injection, the fate of the endocrine pancreas was investigated by studying (a) pancreatic content of four pancreatic hormones, (b) histology and immunohistochemistry of the pancreas, (c) i.v. glucose tolerance and i.v. insulin tolerance tests for monitoring plasma glucose, insulin, and pancreatic polypeptide (PP) levels in vivo, and (d) in vitro perifusion of pancreatic tissue slices to assess insulin and PP secretion. In zein-injected rats, the total pancreatic content of insulin, glucagon, PP, and somatostatin was reduced to 80, 70, 40, and 20%, respectively, of the corresponding controls. In response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia, the plasma PP levels rose to about one-half that of the controls. By contrast, perifused zein-injected rat pancreases released several times more PP than the controls in response to carbachol stimulation. In zein-injected rats, total pancreatic protein was reduced to 20% of the controls and pancreatic amylase was almost absent, reflecting practically complete loss of acinar tissue. Thus, this experimental model appears to be suitable for producing chronic pancreatic insufficiency in the rat and provides a useful model for studying both endocrine and exocrine functions in the small rodent.