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In the isolated rat pancreas the effect of intrapancreatic non-adrenergic non-cholinergic nerves was examined upon insulin, glucagon and somatostatin release during perturbations of perfusate glucose. Elevation of glucose from 1.6 to 8.3 mmol/l increased insulin and somatostatin secretion and inhibited glucagon release. The first phase of insulin secretion was significantly reduced by the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin to 55% of the controls (p < 0.05). The somatostatin response was attenuated by tetrodotoxin while the change of glucagon remained unaffected. In contrast the combined adrenergic and cholinergic blockade with atropine, phentolamine and propranolol (10(-5) mol/l) did not modify the insulin, glucagon and somatostatin response. When glucose was changed from 8.3 to 1.6 mmol/l, the reduction of insulin and somatostatin release was not modified by tetrodotoxin, but stimulation of glucagon was significantly attenuated by 60-70% (p < 0.03), which was similar to the effect of combined adrenergic and cholinergic blockade. Subsequently, the effect of neural blockade was examined during more physiological perturbations of perfusate glucose levels. When glucose was changed from 3.9 to 7.2 mmol/l, tetrodotoxin also attenuated first phase insulin response by 40% while cholinergic and adrenergic blockade had no effect. The nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-Nitro-L-arginine-methyl-ester (L-NAME) did not alter the glucose-induced insulin response indicating that nitric oxide is not involved in this mechanism. It is concluded that neural non-adrenergic non-cholinergic mechanisms contribute to the first, but not second phase of glucose-induced insulin release. Non-adrenergic non-cholinergic effects do not participate in regulation of glucagon and somatostatin secretion under the conditions employed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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