The influence of the neuropeptide galanin, present in intrapancreatic nerve endings, on the endocrine pancreas is well known. The most potent effect of galanin is inhibition of insulin release. Little is known of its effect on the exocrine pancreas. Whether galanin plays a role in the regulation of exocrine pancreatic secretion and whether this effect is mediated directly on acinar cells or indirectly via the influence on insulin secretion is not clear. In the present study, we investigated these questions using the model of the isolated and arterially perfused rat pancreas with intact exocrine and endocrine secretion. In the presence of 15.8 mM glucose in a modified Krebs-Ringer buffer and during half-maximal stimulation of enzyme secretion with 100 pmol/ml cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8), a dose-response study of 0.001-100 pmol/ml porcine galanin was performed. At concentrations of 0.001 and 0.01 pmol/ml, porcine galanin significantly stimulated insulin release (p < 0.05 and < 0.01, respectively) and also significantly enhanced CCK-8-stimulated amylase secretion (p < 0.05). Doses of 0.1 and 1 pmol/ml galanin resulted in a nonsignificant inhibition of insulin release, while 10 and 100 pmol/ml strongly inhibited the endocrine response (p < 0.001). However, concentration levels of 1-100 pmol/ml galanin did not affect CCK-8-stimulated amylase secretion. Rat galanin, tested at 0.01 and 10 pmol/ml, showed no significant difference from the effects of porcine galanin at the equipotent concentrations. It is concluded that the effect of galanin on exocrine pancreas, like the effect on endocrine functions, tends to be a direct one and that it could exert a modulatory influence on the level of neuronal transmission.