A technique for the perfusion of the isolated rabbit pancreas

The present paper describes a technique for the vascular perfusion of the isolated rabbit pancreas, evidence of the viability of the perfused gland and the responses to stimulation by secretin (Sc) and acetylcholine (ACh). The isolated rabbit pancreas was perfused at a constant pressure through the superior mesenteric artery with Krebs-Henseleit solution. The perfused gland, kept in a viable state over the perfusion period of 7 hr, secreted pancreatic juice spontaneously; the juice flow increased and the amylase output decreased gradually for approx. 2 hr after the beginning of perfusion, following the flow and output relatively constantly for several hours. The single infusion of Sc caused a prolonged flow of the pancreatic juice with an increase in the bicarbonate concentration and a decrease in the chloride concentration, though Sc was present in the perfusate for only a short time. The single infusion of ACh was not effective on the juice flow, but immediately increased the amylase output dose-dependently. These results indicate that the saline-perfused preparation of the rabbit pancreas has wide applications in experimental studies on the exocrine pancreas.