Effects of Adrenergic and Cholinergic Agents Upon Insulin Secretion<i>in Vitro</i>

Abstract

Adrenergic drugs (epinephrine, norepinephrine and isoproterenol) inhibit insulin secretion from pieces of rat pancreas incubated with glucose (150 mg/100 ml). This inhibitory effect appears to be mediated through alphareceptors for it is blocked by alpha- but little affected by beta-blocking agents. Cholinergic drugs (acetyl choline and carbamyl choline) have a stimulant effect using media containing glucose in low concentrations (100 mg/100 ml), and this effect is suppressed by simultaneous addition of atropine. These observations suggest that the autonomic nervous system may play a role in the control of insulin secretion under physiological conditions. (Endocrinology80: 975, 1967)