Nervous control of pancreatic endocrine secretion in pigs. I. Insulin and glucagon responses to electrical stimulation of the vagus nerves.

The increases in the concentrations of insulin and pancreatic glucagon in portal venous and arterial plasma in response to electrical stimulation of the vagus nerves were studied in anesthetized splanchnicotomized young pigs. The responses were frequence dependent; threshold frequency was below 1 Hz and maximum response was reached at 8-12 Hz. With maximal stimulation responses of magnitudes comparable to the responses to maximal arginine (glucagon) and glucose stimulation (insulin) were observed. However, both the insulin and the glucagon response were critically dependent on the blood glucose concentration during the stimulation: the glucagon response was inversely correlated to blood glucose, whereas the insulin response was positively correlated to blood glucose at concentrations above 4.5 mmol . 1(-1). Below this glucose concentration there was no detectable insulin response and above 8.0 mmol . 1(-1) no glucagon response to vagal stimulation. A stimulated secretion of glucagon as well as insulin was maintained for up to 30 min stimulation, but insulin secretion tended to decrease, whereas glucagon secretion tended to increase. Above blood glucose concentrations of 4 mmol . 1(-1), blood glucose concentrations increased slightly in response to vagal stimulation, whereas no change was noted during stimulations performed at lower blood glucose concentrations.