Somatostatin acts to regulate numerous physiological processes by binding to and activating specific receptors in target tissues. Activation of these receptors by somatostatin--which is secreted by nerve and endocrine cells--regulates the secretion of insulin, glucagon and growth hormone, neuronal excitability in both the brain and the peripheral nervous system, and cell growth. Somatostatin receptors have been implicated in numerous diseases ranging from Alzheimer's to cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, breast, prostate, and pituitary.
