Phentolamine inhibits exocytosis of glucagon by Gi2 protein-dependent activation of calcineurin in rat pancreatic alpha -cells.

Capacitance measurements were used to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which imidazoline compounds inhibit glucagon release in rat pancreatic alpha-cells. The imidazoline compound phentolamine reversibly decreased depolarization-evoked exocytosis >80% without affecting the whole-cell Ca(2+) current. During intracellular application through the recording pipette, phentolamine produced a concentration-dependent decrease in the rate of exocytosis (IC(50) = 9.