Role of calcium in exocrine pancreas secretion. VII. Effect of sodium on enzyme secretion and calcium metabolism in rabbit pancreatic fragments and acinar cells.

1. The role of sodium in the pancreatic stimulus-secretion coupling has been studied. 2. Reduction of the extracellular sodium concentration or addition of ouabain to the medium inhibits the stimulation of enzyme secretion by carbachol. 3. Incubation in low sodium medium or in the presence of ouabain increases the exchangeable calcium content, but not the total calcium content of acinar cells. 4. Depending on preincubation time and the substrate replacing sodium in the low sodium medium, the carbachol-induced Ca45(2)+ efflux may be blocked, but it is not blocked by addition of ouabain to a normal Na+ medium. 5. Stimulation of enzyme secretion by the calcium ionophore A23187 in the presence of external calcium is inhibited in low sodium as well as in ouabain containing media. 6. These findings suggest that reduction of the Na+ gradient across the plasma membrane blocks the coupling between intracellular calcium release and exocytosis, while under certain conditions it also blocks the coupling between hormone-receptor interactions and intracellular calcium release.