The effect of secretin on the glucose-induced insulin release from isolated pancreatic islets in mice.

A simple and rapid method for isolation of pancreatic islets from mice using Percoll as a separation medium is described. Increasing concentrations of secretin from 10(-11) to 10(-6) M were without effect on the insulin release from the islets at 5 X 5 mM glucose, whereas significant increases were found at 12 mM glucose. Secretin did not elicit additional increases of the insulin release at 5 X 5 and 12 mM glucose with 5 mM theophylline. The mechanism by which secretin acts on the pancreatic islets is discussed. Based upon the above observations it is suggested that secretin apparently represents a modulator of the insulin release from the pancreatic islets.