Pancreatic nerve stimulation releases neuropeptide Y- but not galanin- or calcitonin gene-related peptide-like immunoreactivity from the pig pancreas.

We investigated the possible release of galanin-, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-, and neuropeptide Y (NPY)-like immunoreactivity from the pancreatic nerves in thiopental-anaesthetized pigs. Ten minutes stimulation of the mixed autonomic pancreatic nerves during infusion of atropine (8 or 40 Hz, 5 ms, 10 mA, n = 5) inhibited insulin secretion, during both normoglycemia (9.1 +/- 0.2 mmol/l) and hyperglycemia (28.1 +/- 0.4 mmol/l). Concomitantly, pancreatic venous concentrations of NPY-like immunoreactivity increased. For example during normoglycemia, a nerve stimulation by 8 Hz increased the pancreatic venous levels of NPY-like immunoreactivity from 294 +/- 26 pmol/l to 391 +/- 23 pmol/l (P less than 0.001). In contrast, the pancreatic venous concentrations of galanin- or CGRP-like immunoreactivity did not change during the nerve stimulation. We conclude that electrical pancreatic nerve stimulation in the pig releases NPY-like immunoreactivity without affecting the pancreatic venous concentrations of galanin- or CGRP-like immunoreactivity.