Cysteamine blocks somatostatin secretion without altering the course of insulin or glucagon release. A new model for the study of islet function.

Cysteamine (300 mg/kg) administered subcutaneously depletes pancreatic somatostatin to 36% of control levels, but does not alter pancreatic insulin or glucagon content. Although perfusion of pancreata from normal animals with glucose (300 mg/dl) markedly stimulated somatostatin release, pancreata from cysteamine-treated animals failed to secrete somatostatin in response to glucose. Cysteamine treatment was without effect on insulin and glucagon release under the conditions tested. The isolated perfused pancreas from the cysteamine-treated rat provides a model for further investigations into regulation of islet hormone release in the absence of stimulated somatostatin release.