Neuromedin B and neuromedin C are novel decapeptides that have recently been isolated from porcine spinal cord and canine intestinal mucosa. We have studied the effects of neuromedin B and neuromedin C on insulin release from the isolated perfused rat pancreas. The effect of neuromedin B was detectable at a concentration of 10mM, and that of neuromedin C was detectable at a concentration of 1 nM. Further increase in the concentration of neuromedin B and neuromedin C resulted in dose-dependent increases in insulin secretion. The effectiveness of neuromedin B and neuromedin C as insulinotropic agents depended on the glucose concentration; both were more effective at a higher concentration of glucose. However, insulinotropic effects of these peptides in the presence of 8.3mM glucose were limited to the first 3 min of a 20-min perfusion. These results, coupled with a recent study demonstrating bombesin-like immunoreactivity in nerves in the pancreas, suggest that neuromedin B and neuromedin C exert a direct local action on insulin secretion in the pancreas.
