Effect of extracellular calcium on amylase release from dispersed pancreatic acini

In dispersed acini prepared from guinea pig pancreas, removing extracellular calcium did not alter the basal rate of amylase release but reduced the stimulation of enzyme release caused by cholecystokinin, carbachol, secretin, and vasoactive intestinal peptide as well as that caused by derivatives of cyclic nucleotides. In acini incubated in a calcium-free, EGTA-containing medium the increase in amylase release caused by each secretagogue tested did not change during the initial 10 min of incubation, decreased by approximately 65% during the subsequent 40 min, and remained constant thereafter. Removing extracellular calcium did not alter the maximally effective concentrations of cholecystokinin or vasoactive intestinal peptide but abolished the decrease in stimulated enzyme secretion seen with supramaximal concentrations of cholecystokinin. Incubating pancreatic acini with cholecystokinin or carbachol plus secretin or vasoactive intestinal peptide caused potentiation of amylase release, and removing extracellular calcium reduced the stimulation of enzyme release caused by the two secretagogues in combination but did not alter their potentiating interactions.