Effect of Adropin on Pancreas Exocrine Function in a Rat Model: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

The aim was to investigate the potential effect of adropin (ADR) on pancreatic–biliary juice (PBJ) secretion (volume, protein content, trypsin activity) in a rat model. The animals were divided into control and five experimental groups: adropin, CCK-8 (CCK-8 stimulation), capsaicin (capsaicin deactivation of afferents), vagotomy (vagotomy procedure), and vagal stimulation (vagal nerve stimulation). The experiment consisted of four phases, during which vehicle (0.9% NaCl) and three ADR boluses (5, 10, and 20 µg/kg BW) were administered i.v. every 30 min. PBJ samples were collected from each rat at 15 min intervals after boluses. Exogenous ADR failed to affect the pancreatic responses after vagotomy and the capsaicin pretreatment and reduced the PBJ volume, protein outputs, and trypsin activity in the adropin, CCK-8, and vagal stimulation groups in a dose-dependent manner. In all these groups, volume of PBJ was reduced only by the highest dose of ADR (p p p p p p p p < 0.01) groups. In conclusion, adropin in the analyzed doses exhibits the negative feedback pathway. This mechanism seems to participate in the regulation of pancreatic juice secretion via an indirect vagal mechanism.

Keywords

• adropin
• trypsin
• pancreatic secretion
• vagal stimulation
• rat