Peptide YY inhibits the pancreatic exocrine secretion (bicarbonate, water, and protein) that is stimulated by cholecystokinin, secretin, or neurotensin in the dog, but whether peptide YY inhibits the release of gut peptides that stimulate pancreatic exocrine secretion is not known. Six dogs were prepared with gastric, pancreatic, and cecal cannulas. On separate days, a single dose of sodium oleate (3, 6, 7.5, 9, 12, 15, or 18 mmol/h) was given intraduodenally for 90 min, either alone (control) or in combination with peptide YY (25, 50, 100, 200, or 400 pmol/kg.h, i.v.). We measured plasma levels of cholecystokinin-33/39, secretin, neurotensin, and peptide YY by radioimmunoassay. During infusion of peptide YY, the integrated release of cholecystokinin (3.3 +/- 0.5 ng-[0-90] min/ml) was decreased significantly (p less than 0.05) when compared with control values (5.6 +/- 0.6). Release of secretin and neurotensin was not affected. A positive correlation (p less than 0.05) was found between the release of cholecystokinin and pancreatic protein output in both control (r = 0.68) and peptide YY-treated (r = 0.67) groups. Release of peptide YY was significant after intraduodenal or intracolonic administration of sodium oleate. These studies demonstrate that inhibition of pancreatic protein secretion by peptide YY in dogs is mediated, at least in part, by an inhibition of the release of cholecystokinin.