Vagal stimulation and its role in eliciting gastrin but not glucagon release from the isolated perfused dog stomach

Abstract

Electrical stimulation (10 V, 10 Hz, 3 min) of both dorsal and ventral vagal trunks of the isolated canine stomach perfused with whole blood induced strong gastric contractions, transient release of cyclic GMP and marked release of gastrin. No gastric-glucagon release was elicited either at 'normal' (4.8 +/- 0.1 mmol/l) or at low (1.5 +/- 0.1 mmol/l) concentrations of blood glucose. It is concluded that, in conditions effective for the stimulation of gastrin release, electrical stimulation of the vagus nerves does not stimulate glucagon release from the isolated perfused dog stomach. Thus one of the well-accepted mechanisms controlling pancreatic-glucagon secretion, vagal stimulation, is ineffective on gastric-glucagon release.