Potentiation of cholecystokinin-induced amylase release by peptide VIP in guinea pig pancreatic acini

Messenger RNA Gene Expression Screening of VIP and PACAP Neuropeptides and Their Endogenous Receptors in Ruminants

Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP) and Pituitary Adenylate-Cyclase-Activating Peptide (PACAP) are anti-inflammatory neuropeptides that play important roles in human and rodent gut microbiota homeostasis and host immunity. Pharmacologically regulating these neuropeptides is expected to have significant health and feed efficiency benefits for agriculturally relevant animals. However, their expression profile in ruminant tissues is not well characterized. To this end, we screened for VIP and PACAP neuropeptides and their endogenous GPCRs using 15 different tissues from wethers and steers by RT-qPCR. Our results revealed relatively similar expression profiles for both VIP and PACAP neuropeptide ligands in the brain and intestinal tissue of both species. In contrast, the tissue expression profiles for VPAC1, VPAC2, and PAC1 were more widespread and disparate, with VPAC1 being the most diversely expressed receptor with mRNA detection in the brain and throughout the gastrointestinal tract. These data are an important first step to allow for future investigations regarding the VIP and PACAP signaling pathways in livestock ruminant species.

Potentiation of carbachol-induced amylase release by propionate in guinea pig and vole pancreatic acini

The action of propionate, one of the major end products of microbial fermentation in herbivores was investigated in isolated, perifused pancreatic acini of guinea pigs, voles, and mice. With the use of guinea pig acini, 100 microM propionate had no effect, whereas 300 and 600 microM increased amylase release by six- and ninefold, respectively. Simultaneous perifusion of carbachol (CCh) 10 microM plus propionate 100 microM in guinea pig acini produced a potentiated secretory response that was 130% higher than the summated value obtained with CCh and propionate alone. The potentiation by propionate (100 microM) of CCh (10 microM)-induced amylase release was also obtained in vole pancreatic acini, but the mouse pancreatic preparation did not exhibit a similar potentiation. In contrast to CCh, propionate (100-600 microM) alone had no significant effect on intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and did not alter [Ca2+]i elicited by CCh. Ca ionophore A23187 (5 microM)-induced amylase release in guinea pig acini was enhanced twofold by the addition of propionate. Cellular cAMP content was increased slightly by propionate, but did not alter dose dependently. The cAMP level with combinations of CCh and propionate was almost same as that with CCh alone and propionate alone. Staurosporine did not modify amylase secretion induced by a combination of CCh and propionate. These results suggest that propionate, in addition to a direct action on amylase release, potentiates CCh-induced amylase release in guinea pig and vole acini via a secretory pathway not associated with an increase in [Ca2+]i and cellular cAMP.