Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2018 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: Parasitol Res. 2016 Dec 24;116(3):827–838. doi: 10.1007/s00436-016-5350-5

Figure 2. Parasympathetic islet innervation and insulin release.

Figure 2

Parasympathetic innervation and release of acetylcholine (Ach) stimulates granule exocytosis through muscarinic (M3) receptor signaling located at the cell surface of β-cells. Cholinergic regulation is also of great importance to glucagon secretion. Select gut derived polypeptides regulate the insulin/glucagon ratio by inhibiting insulin secretion while augmenting glucagon release induced by vagal stimulation. How T. cruzi- associated denervation affects these cholinergically mediated secretory responses, is currently not known. In a mouse model of Chagas however, glucagon secretion remains insensitive to infection (8).