The Effect of Cholecystokinin-Octapeptide, Insulin, Glucagon, Triiodothyronine, and Epidermal Growth Factor on Amylase Activity in Fetal Pancreas in Vitro

Abstract

To evaluate the possible role of various hormones on fetal pancreas development, late gestational fetal rat pancreata (20 days) were cultured in a serum-free medium for 6 days in the presence of cholecystokinin-octapeptide (CCK-8), epidermal growth factor, triiodothyronine, or glucagon with or without dexamethasone. In the absence of any added hormone, the tissue amylase activity declined very rapidly. Epidermal growth factor alone (4.10(-7) M) could not preserve the amylase activity, whereas triiodothyronine (0.1 microM) and glucagon (4 micrograms/ml) had a deleterious effect that was prevented by the addition of DXM (3.10(-6) M). In the presence of CCK-8 (2.10(-11) M) 50 and 30% of the amylase activity was maintained on the 2nd and the 4th day of culture, respectively. The CCK-8 effect was dose dependent and was inhibited by asperlicin (10 microM). The combination of CCK-8 and dexamethasone maintained more than 80% of the amylase activity in the fetal pancreas explants through 4 days of culture. Fetal pancreas cultured in this optimal medium and treated with streptozotocin (10(-7) M) during the 1st day of culture showed a significantly lower tissue amylase activity on the 4th and 6th days than those not treated with streptozotocin. The streptozotocin effect was attenuated when insulin (0.1 U/ml) was added. These data suggest that, in addition to the well-known effect of glucocorticoid on enzyme activities in the fetal pancreas, two additional hormones, CCK and insulin, could play a role in the modulation of pancreatic amylase activity in the fetal rat.