Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) is a highly basic octacosapeptide isolated from porcine small intestine. VIP was originally considered to be a gut hormone, but radioimmunochemical and immunohistochemical studies have revealed that VIP has a widespread distribution localized in neurons. VIP-containing neurons are present in the central nervous system including the cerebral arteries, the digestive tract, the genitourinary tract and the adrenal glands. In the nerve terminals VIP is localized in synaptic vesicles. VIP fulfils a number of criteria to be a neurotransmitter both in central and peripheral nerves. Whilst the role of VIP in the central nervous system is unknown, it is likely that VIP is the mediator of gastrointestinal and pancreatic functions, which are controlled by non-cholinergic, non-adrenergic nerve fibres.