We have investigated whether hormonally mediated negative feedback mechanisms regulate pancreatic exocrine secretion in guinea pigs. In anesthetized guinea pigs prepared with a tube in the proximal duodenum, pyloric ligation, and pancreatic duct cannulation with PE-10 tubing, diversion of pancreatic juice for as long as 4 h in fasting states failed to increase either pancreatic secretion or plasma levels of secretin or cholecystokinin (CCK). In the same animal preparation, intraduodenal (ID) infusion of sodium oleate (SO) resulted in significant increases in both pancreatic secretin and plasma levels of the two hormones that were significantly suppressed by ID infusion of pancreatic juice or a combination of trypsin and chymotrypsin. In another group of guinea pigs, this significant increase in pancreatic secretion was profoundly suppressed by a rabbit antisecretin serum (0.2 ml) or loxiglumide (10 mg.kg-1.h-1). Moreover, a combination of the antiserum and loxiglumide completely abolished the pancreatic secretion. The effect of atropine, 20 micrograms.kg-1.h-1 i.v., on SO-stimulated pancreatic secretion and hormone release was also studied. Atropine completely suppressed the pancreatic secretion of volume flow, bicarbonate, and protein stimulated by SO, whereas neither one of the two hormone levels was affected by intravenous atropine, indicating that atropine blocks the actions of both secretin and CCK on the pancreatic exocrine secretion. It is concluded that a negative feedback regulation of exocrine pancreatic secretion is operative in the intestinal phase of pancreatic secretion in guinea pigs and that this feedback mechanism is mediated by both secretin and CCK. Furthermore, in guinea pigs, cholinergic tone plays an important modulating role in the mechanism.