Effects on the exocrine and endocrine pancreas of duct occlusion with two different tissue glues in the rat.

Exocrine and endocrine pancreatic function was studied in the rat after occlusion of the pancreatic ducts with acrylate or prolamine, respectively. After 5 months the effect of these procedures was a clear-cut exocrine insufficiency as evidenced by reduced enzyme activities in pancreatic tissue and in intestinal content, while the endocrine function was not impaired. The insulin secretory response to an intravenous glucose load was rather increased in duct-occluded rats, and the glucose tolerance was improved. The liver glycogen levels in duct occluded rats were decreased. As judged from the present investigation there was no striking difference between the effects of acrylate and prolamine on either exocrine or endocrine pancreas. The results suggest that long-term duct occlusion in the rat by acrylate or prolamine is harmless to the endocrine pancreas. The improvement of the glucose-induced insulin response and the glucose tolerance is probably due to an enteropancreatic feedback mechanism elicited by low levels of intestinal trypsin.