Calcitonin gene-related peptide: mechanisms of modulation of antral endocrine cells and cholinergic neurons

Abstract

Actions of human calcitonin-gene related peptide (hCGRP) on acetylcholine (ACh) discharge and gastrin and somatostatin release from rat antral mucosal-submucosal fragments were examined in both dynamic perifusion experiments and short-term static incubation studies. The principal findings of the dynamic perifusion experiments were that hCGRP exerted a dual or biphasic effect on ACh discharge and gastrin release. Initial exposure of antral tissues to hCGRP (1 x 10(-8) M) resulted in stimulation of both ACh and gastrin release that was of brief duration. Continued hCGRP perifusion caused subsequent inhibition of ACh and gastrin release that was substantially greater in duration and magnitude than the initial stimulatory responses. Static incubation studies indicated that hCGRP (10(-10) to 10(-7) M) stimulated somatostatin and inhibited gastrin release in a dose-dependent manner. Inhibition of gastrin and ACh release by hCGRP appeared to be an indirect effect that was mediated by somatostatin as suggested by studies with pertussis toxin (200 ng/ml). Furthermore, studies with atropine (1 x 10(-6) M) and tetrodotoxin (1 x 10(-6) M) indicated that CGRP-induced stimulation of somatostatin release and inhibition of ACh discharge occurred independent of muscarinic receptor activation and nerve excitation. In conclusion, results of these studies indicate that CGRP is capable of exerting both stimulatory and inhibitory effects on ACh release from mucosal-submucosal neurons and gastrin release from antral mucosal G cells in in vitro studies. These data suggest that the inhibitory effects of CGRP on cholinergic discharge and gastrin release are due to the paracrine effects of somatostatin released from antral D cells by direct action of CGRP.