An investigation of the relationship between duct system and A cell-rich and PP cell-rich pancreatic islets in the canine pancreas.

The pancreata of four six-month-old dogs of the same mother, two with both the pancreatic and accessory pancreatic ducts (X-type) and two with only the accessory pancreatic duct (Y-type), were examined in this study. To clarify the relationships between the type of pancreatic duct system and the composition of pancreatic endocrine cells, the pancreata were examined immunohistochemically using antiserum against four types of pancreatic hormones (glucagon, insulin, somatostatin and pancreatic polypeptide). In all areas of the X- and Y-type duct system pancreata, B cells accounted for 52-82% of the total number of islet cells, and D cells accounted for 4-15%. In the X-type ducts system, the percentages of A and PP cells in the right and left lobes of the pancreas differed greatly. It was found that A and PP cells appear in inverse proportion to each other and that there exist A cell-rich and PP cell-rich pancreatic islets. The A cell-rich pancreatic islets appeared in the left lobes along the accessory pancreatic duct, while the PP cell-rich pancreatic islets were observed in the right lobes along the pancreatic duct. The body of the pancreas contained both A cell-rich and PP cell-rich pancreatic islets. In the Y-type duct systems, A cell-rich pancreatic islets appeared in the right lobes. These findings indicate that the composition of A and PP cells in pancreatic islets is closely related to the type of duct system.