Effect of vagal stimulation on pancreatic secretion and on blood levels of gastrin, cholecystokinin, secretin, vasoactive intestinal peptide, and somatostatin.

We investigated in dogs the effect of graded frequencies of electrical vagal stimulation (1.5, 3, 6, and 12 cps) on pancreatic exocrine secretion and on portal blood levels of gastrin, secretin, cholecystokinin (CCK), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and somatostatin (STS). Stimuli of all four frequencies, each with a duration of 5 minutes, were applied with a secretin background of 0.25 CU/kg-hr, and one stimulatory period of 12 cps was applied without a secretin background. With secretin, a significant, frequency-dependent increase of volume and of pancreatic protein secretion occurred from 3 to 12 cps. Gastrin values increased significantly at all frequencies. VIP and STS increased significantly with 3, 6, and 12 cps. Maximal responses for gastrin, VIP, and STS were observed with 6 cps. Peak values for gastrin and VIP were found during stimulation, whereas STS peaked after the end of the stimulatory period. The integrated responses of gastrin and STS showed significant correlation (P less than 0.01). The results suggest that vagally induced pancreatic response is only partially mediated by gastrin and perhaps VIP, and that endogenous gastrin may be one of the releasing factors for somatostatin. Plasma levels of CCK and secretin did not change after electrical stimulation, which provides direct evidence that their release is unlikely to be under vagal control, and that CCK does not mediate the protein secretion obtained after electrical stimulation of the vagus.