Effect of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide infused intrapancreatically on glucagon and insulin secretion.

Synthetic vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) was infused at a dose of 50 ng/kg/min for 10 min into the cranial pancreaticoduodenal artery in anesthetized dogs. Both mean blood flow and plasma glucagon concentration in the cranial pancreaticoduodenal vein were significantly enhanced during the infusion, indicating a great augmentation in glucagon output. The pancreatic venous plasma concentration of insulin was not significantly raised, but its output increased during the infusion, again due to the increase in plasma flow. Plasma concentration of glucagon in the femoral artery was not significantly augmented, whereas that of insulin was enhanced during VIP infusion. Mean arterial plasma glucose levels rose gradually during the infusion. Intrapancreatic pretreatment with propranolol failed to exert any significant inhibiting effect upon the VIP-induced enhancement in plasma glucose, pancreatic venous blood flow, or bihormonal output. These results suggest that the vasoactive polypeptide of intestinal origin may regulate the function of the endocrine pancreas and that this effect may not be mediated mainly via the beta-adrenergic receptor system.