Action of natural glucagon on pancreatic acini: due to contamination by previously undescribed secretagogues.

In dispersed acini from guinea pig pancreas, natural glucagon caused a two- to threefold increase in amylase secretion, and this natural glucagon-induced increase was augmented by theophylline. Natural glucagon also caused a sixfold increase in cellular cAMP but did not alter cellular cGMP or outflux of 45Ca. Natural glucagon caused detectable changes in cAMP and amylase secretion at a concentration of 1 microM, half-maximal stimulation at 10 microM, and maximal stimulation at 100 microM. Natural glucagon potentiated the increase in enzyme secretion caused by secretagogues that act by causing mobilization of cellular calcium but did not alter the increase in enzyme secretion caused by secretagogues that increase or mimic the action of cellular cAMP. At concentrations up to 100 microM, natural glucagon did not inhibit binding of 125I-vasoactive intestinal peptide. The potency with which glucagon stimulated amylase release and augmented the increase in amylase release caused by cholecystokinin or carbachol was the same with acini from rat or mouse pancreas as it was with acini from guinea pig pancreas. Biologically active synthetic glucagon did not increase enzyme secretion. On reverse-phase, high-pressure liquid chromatography of natural glucagon, the ability to stimulate enzyme secretion migrated differently from the glucagon. Natural glucagon, at concentrations that stimulated cAMP accumulation, did not react with vasoactive intestinal peptide or secretin radioimmunoassays. Neither insulin nor pancreatic polypeptide, which are known to contaminate natural glucagon preparations, increased enzyme secretion from pancreatic acini. Trypsin treatment abolished the ability of natural glucagon to increase enzyme secretion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)