Neural control of shark rectal gland.

Veratrum alkaloids stimulated salt secretion by the isolated perfused rectal gland of Squalus acanthias. Stimulation by veratrine was prevented by the nerve channel blockers tetrodotoxin and procaine and was not evident in a preparation of dispersed rectal gland cells. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-like immunoreactivity was detected by histological techniques in neuronal tissue within the rectal gland. Veratrine stimulation caused the release of immunoreactive VIP into the venous effluent of perfused glands. The stimulatory action of veratrine was inhibited by somatostatin, another neuropeptide known to be present in nerves of Squalus rectal gland. These findings suggest the likelihood of neural modulation of rectal gland function.