Effect of the order of application of neural inputs on insulin secretion.

Abstract

Sympathetic and parasympathetic neural inputs to the pancreatic β-cell have been shown to modify insulin secretion by many investigators (for reviews see3,5,9–12). Electrical stimulation of sympathetic nerves to the pancreas or exposure of the pancreas to norepinephrine inhibited insulin secretion at intermediate and high glucose concentrations, while stimulation of parasympathetic nerves or exposure to acetylcholine increased insulin secretion at low and intermediate glucose concentrations1–4,5,8,9,12. We have previously determined the interaction of autonomic neural inputs during simultaneous application of selected concentrations of exogenous acetylcholine and norepinephrine on insulin secretion from isolated pancreatic islets in the presence of an intermediate glucose concentration3. We found three response regimes: net stimulation (parasympathetic dominance), net inhibition (sympathetic dominance) and no net effect (cancellation). We concluded that insulin secretion was a complex function of both the absolute and relative magnitudes of neural inputs in addition to the local glucose concentration.KeywordsInsulin SecretionPancreatic IsletVagal StimulationCombine ExposureNeural InputThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.