Interaction of secretin and glucagon on exocrine pancreatic secretion

Inhibition of secretin-stimulated pancreatic secretion by glucagon was studied in anesthetized dogs. Two external pancreatic fistulas were prepared in dogs for both simultaneous and separate collection of pancreatic juice secreted by the right and left lobes. Two series of experiments were preformed. In the first, graded doses of glucagon (2.5 to 20 micrograms/kg/hr) were administered against a background infusion of 2 CHR U/kg/hr of secretin. In the second, a constant dose of glucagon (20 micrograms/kg/hr) was given against a background infusion of secretin doubling from 1 to 8 U/kg/hr. Infusion of glucagon was started when flow rate became nearly constant, and continued for 60 minutes in each dose. Glucagon produced the dose-related reduction in flow rate and bicarbonate secretion, but not in amylase secretion. This inhibitory effect was almost the same in size between the right and left lobes. No significant change of plasma secretin was observed during glucagon infusion. Michealis-Menten analysis of the dose in slopes (Km) and similar intercepts of Y-axis (CMR). These results suggest that glucagon inhibits competitively secretin-stimulated pancreatic secretion by acting probably on the same receptor as secretin.