VIP-Immunoreactive nerves in the pancreas of the snake, Elaphe quadrivirgata (Boie): Another model for insular neurosecretion

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Abstract
VIP[vasoactive intestinal peptide]-immunoreactive nerve fibers were demonstrated around the blood capillaries in the pancreatic islet of the Japanese rat racer snake, E. quadrivirgata, by the peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) technique. EM observation confirmed occurrence of numerous nerve terminals in the pericapillary spaces in the snake islet. They possessed both large endocrine-type granules and small synaptic-type vesicles. The Schwann cell sheath was often absent on the vascular side of the nerve profiles. VIP-immunoreactive substance released from the nerve terminals into the pericapillary space may flow into the blood stream, be transferred by the insulo-acinar portal vessels, and possibly stimulate the exocrine function of the pancreas, although the secretin-like activity of VIP remains to be examined in the snake.