p-Chlorophenylalanine damages pancreatic acinar cell of the chicken

1. Birds were injected intraperitoneally with DL-p-chlorophenylalanine (p-CP), which is an inhibitor of phenylalanine hydroxylase, or saline one day before the experiment. The weight and cell size of pancreas increased by the p-CP treatment. 2. The application of acetylcholine (5.50 x 10(-9) to 5.50 x 10(-5) M) caused a dose dependent increase in amylase release from the superfused segment of pancreas, although the response significantly decreased in the pancreatic segment treated with p-CP, compared with the control.