It is known that pig galanin inhibits insulin secretion in dogs, rats and mice. The present study examined whether species-specific, homologous, galanin inhibits insulin secretion. Thus, the effects of rat galanin were examined in the rat, and the effects of pig galanin were examined in the pig, both in vivo and in vitro. In conscious rats, synthetic rat galanin (2 nmol kg-1) abolished the glucose- (0.56 mmol kg-1) induced increase in plasma insulin levels. In vitro, rat galanin (10(-9) to 10(-6) mol l-1) inhibited glucose- (8.3 mmol l-1) stimulated insulin release from isolated rat islets. In anaesthetized pigs, 15 min infusion of synthetic pig galanin (207 pmol min-1) into the pancreatic artery decreased the insulin output with a subsequent recovery. In vitro, pig galanin (10(-6) mol l-1) inhibited glucose- (8.3 mmol l-1) stimulated insulin release from isolated pig islets. We conclude that homologous galanin inhibits insulin secretion in both the rat and the pig.