Document Type

Article

Original Publication Date

2009

Journal/Book/Conference Title

The Biophysical Journal

Volume

97

Issue

3

First Page

722

Last Page

729

DOI of Original Publication

10.1016/j.bpj.2009.05.016

Comments

Originally published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2009.05.016

Under an Elsevier user license

Date of Submission

February 2015

Abstract

Abstract

Plasma insulin measurements from mice, rats, dogs, and humans indicate that insulin levels are oscillatory, reflecting pulsatile insulin secretion from individual islets. An unanswered question, however, is how the activity of a population of islets is coordinated to yield coherent oscillations in plasma insulin. Here, using mathematical modeling, we investigate the feasibility of a potential islet synchronization mechanism, cholinergic signaling. This hypothesis is based on well-established experimental evidence demonstrating intrapancreatic parasympathetic (cholinergic) ganglia and recent in vitro evidence that a brief application of a muscarinic agonist can transiently synchronize islets. We demonstrate using mathematical modeling that periodic pulses of acetylcholine released from cholinergic neurons is indeed able to coordinate the activity of a population of simulated islets, even if only a fraction of these are innervated. The role of islet-to-islet heterogeneity is also considered. The results suggest that the existence of cholinergic input to the pancreas may serve as a regulator of endogenous insulin pulsatility in vivo.

Rights

From The Biophysical Journal, Fendler, B., Zhang, M., Satin, L., et al., Synchronization of Pancreatic Islet Oscillations by Intrapancreatic Ganglia: A Modeling Study, Vol. 97, Page 722. Copyright © 2009 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. Reprinted with permission.

Is Part Of

VCU Pharmacology and Toxicology Publications

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