Response of extrapancreatic glucagon to gastrointestinal hormones in pancreatectomized dogs.

In order to investigate the effect of gastrointestinal hormones upon the secretion of extrapancreatic glucagon, tetragastrin, secretin, caerulein and cholecytokinin-pancreozymin octapeptide (CCK-octa) were administered during saline or arginine infusion in pancreatectomized dogs. Intravenous administration of tetragastrin (7 micrograms/kg) did not elicit any changes in plasma glucagon during saline infusion, while the plasma glucagon increased significantly following tetragastrin infusion during arginine infusion. The administration of secretin (3 U/kg) did not affect the plasma level of glucagon during saline or arginine infusion at all. Plasma glucagon did not change after the administration of caerulein (0.5 microgram/kg) during saline infusion, whereas it increased significantly following caerulein administration during arginine infusion. Intravenous administration of CCK-octa in a dose of 20 U/kg did not affect the plasma level of glucagon during saline infusion but exerted a significant rise of extrapancreatic glucagon during arginine infusion. It is concluded from the present experiment that the administration of tetragastrin, caerulein or CCK-octa enhances the release of extrapancreatic glucagon stimulated by arginine infusion while secretin infusion does not affect the secretion of extrapancreatic glucagon.