Effect of an acute glucose overload on Islet cell morphology and secretory function in the toad

The aim of this work was to study the effect of induced hyperglycemia on islet cell mass and insulin secretion in normal toads. Immunolabeled beta cell area, replication (bromodeoxyuridine) and apoptosis (propidium iodide) rate, islet neogenesis (cytokeratin), and insulin secretion in vitro were measured in adult male specimens of Bufo arenarum during and after interruption of the injection of either a 50% glucose solution (2 g/100 g) or its vehicle for 4 days. Glucose administration caused hyperglycemia (122.6 +/- 16.7 and 508.3 +/- 115.9 mg/dl vs 23.5 +/- 1.26 and 22.8 +/- 1.8 mg/dl, at days 3 and 5, respectively, P < 0.05) and a significant decrease in the number of islets/mm(2) (day 3: 9.7 +/- 0.9 vs 3.3 +/- 0.4, P < 0.05; day 5: 9.4 +/- 0.8 vs 7.4 +/- 0.6; day 9: 9.6 +/- 0.9 vs 6.2 +/- 0.4, P < 0.05) and in the percentage of immunolabeled beta cell area (day 3: 2.07 +/- 0.2 vs 0.5 +/- 0.1%, P < 0.05; day 5: 1.8 +/- 0.1 vs 0.6 +/- 0.1%; day 9: 1.7 +/- 0.1 vs 0.7 +/- 0.1%, P < 0.05). Glucose-injected animals had a simultaneous significantly higher percentage of BrdU-labeled beta cells (day 3: 0.46 +/- 0.02 vs 0.23 +/- 0.03%; day 5: 0.54 +/- 0.13 vs 0.22 +/- 0.02%; day 9: 0.61 +/- 0.0 vs 0.27 +/- 0.05%, P < 0.05) and cytokeratin-labeled endocrine cells (day 3: 0.21 +/- 0.06 vs 0.01 +/- 0.00%; day 5: 0.17 +/- 0.06 vs 0.01 +/- 0.01%; day 9: 1.25 +/- 0.2 vs 0.01 +/- 0.008%, P < 0.05) and a higher rate of apoptotic beta cells (day 3: 0.14 +/- 0.04 vs 0.05 +/- 0.02%; day 5: 0.4 +/- 0.06 vs 0.05 +/- 0.2, P < 0.05; day 9: 0.47 +/- 0.04 vs 0.06 +/- 0.03, P < 0.05). Comparable amounts of insulin were secreted in vitro by both groups in response to 2 mM glucose, whereas there was a significantly reduced response to 8 mM glucose in treated animals (day 3: 73 +/- 12 vs 165 +/- 20%; day 5: 74 +/- 11 vs 204 +/- 18%, P < 0.05). This decreased response to high glucose reverted to normal after removal of the glucose injection. These results show for the first time that short-term hyperglycemia triggers marked morphological and transient secretory changes in the toad pancreas similar in part to those elicited in the pancreas of several mammals. As with other results previously reported, these results support the usefulness of the toad as an alternative easily handled model to study the growth and secretory function of the endocrine pancreas.

[Gestational diabetes. Determination of relative importance of risk factors]

The aim of this study was to determine the relative importance of gestational diabetes (GD) risk factors to identify populations at risk. A total of 400 pregnant patients were studied, 200 with confirmed GD diagnosis and 200 controls with risk factors. They regularly attended health-care units belonging to the Ministry of Health of the Province of Buenos Aires, in the context of the Program for the Prevention, Care and Treatment of People with Diabetes of the Province of Buenos Aires (PRODIABA). The following risk factors were evaluated: GD in previous pregnancies, history of diabetes in first degree relatives, age > or = 30 years, BMI > 26, history of fetal macrosomy, perinatal mortality and hypertension during pregnancy. Data analysis was performed with the Program of Statistics in Public Health Epilnfo 6. The association between GD development as a dependent variable and the presence of different risk factors (independent variables) was analyzed with a multiple logistic regression model, determining the logistic probability to develop GD. Results showed that the incidence of risk factors to develop GD is not the same; therefore, they do not have the same predictive value. Overweight or obesity played a key central role, not only for its frequency, but also for its contribution to GD development. Our findings reinforce the importance of multi causal studies as the basis to design and implement prevention strategies for diabetes.

A useful model to study the effect of high sugar concentrations upon growth and enzymic activities of toad embryos and larvae

The aim of this study was to develop an oviparous model suitable for studying the differential effects and mechanisms by which a high concentration of extracellular glucose and other sugars produce diabetes complications, particularly body growth retardation during development. Hence, we studied the experimental conditions necessary to obtain measurable effects of high sugar concentrations (5-mM glucose, mannitol, fructose and galactose) upon body growth and development of Bufo arenarum embryos and larvae, and upon the activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), and alkaline phosphatase (APP). Unfed animals kept in glucose showed lower body weight than controls at all stages, a condition only observed at stage 26 for animals kept in galactose and fructose. All animals reached the same stage of development regardless of the solution in which they were kept. Glucose and fructose significantly decreased the activity of all enzymes tested, while galactose only affected GGT activity. The model provides the first experimental evidence for the deleterious effect exerted in vivo by different sugars upon developing embryos and larvaes of Bufo arenarum. The results prove that this model might help to elucidate the effects and the pathogenic mechanisms of hyperglycemia upon growth and development of embryos exposed to environments with high sugar concentrations. It might also become a useful tool for testing the effectiveness of drugs designed to prevent the deleterious effect of such exposure.

Possible relationship between changes in islet neogenesis and islet neogenesis-associated protein-positive cell mass induced by sucrose administration to normal hamsters

The possible relationship between changes in islet cell mass and in islet neogenesis-associated protein (INGAP)-cell mass induced by sucrose administration to normal hamsters was investigated. Normal hamsters were given sucrose (10% in drinking water) for 5 (S8) or 21 (S24) weeks and compared with control (C) fed hamsters. Serum glucose and insulin levels were measured and quantitative immunocytochemistry of the endocrine pancreas was performed. Serum glucose levels were comparable among the groups, while insulin levels were higher in S hamsters. There was a significant increase in beta-cell mass (P<0.02) and in beta-cell 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine index (P<0.01), and a significant decrease in islet volume (P<0.01) only in S8 vs C8 hamsters. Cytokeratin (CK)-labelled cells were detected only in S8 hamsters. INGAP-positive cell mass was significantly larger only in S8 vs C8 hamsters. Endocrine INGAP-positive cells were located at the islet periphery ( approximately 96%), spread within the exocrine pancreas ( approximately 3%), and in ductal cells (<1%) in all groups. INGAP positivity and glucagon co-localization varied according to topographic location and type of treatment. In C8 hamsters, 49.1+/-6. 9% cells were INGAP- and glucagon-positive in the islets, while this percentage decreased by almost half in endocrine extra-insular and ductal cells. In S8 animals, co-expression increased in endocrine extra-insular cells to 36.3+/-9.5%, with similar figures in the islets, decreasing to 19.7+/-6.9% in ductal cells. INGAP-positive cells located at the islet periphery also co-expressed CK. In conclusion, a significant increase of INGAP-positive cell mass was only observed at 8 weeks when neogenesis was present, suggesting that this peptide might participate in the control of islet neogenesis. Thus, INGAP could be a potentially useful tool to treat conditions in which there is a decrease in beta-cell mass.

Possible relationship between the B-cell threshold for glucose-induced insulin secretion and blood glucose concentrations in the normal toad

The aim of this work was to gain information on the possible relationship between basal glycemia in the toad and the B-cell threshold for glucose-induced insulin release. Hence, pieces of pancreas from Bufo arenarum were incubated with 2 to 20 mM glucose or preincubated with 2 mM glucose plus the hexokinase and glucokinase inhibitors (50 mM of 2-deoxyglucose and mannoheptulose, respectively) followed by an incubation with different glucose concentrations. The maximal rate of insulin release occurred at 8 mM glucose, while 50% of the release (K(s50)) was observed at 7 mM glucose. Regardless of the glucose concentration employed, pancreas pieces preincubated with 2-deoxyglucose released less insulin than the corresponding controls. On the other hand, mannoheptulose significantly inhibited the release of insulin at high glucose concentrations, having no effect at low glucose concentrations. The blocking effect of these two inhibitors is the first indirect evidence of the existence of the hexokinase/glucokinase enzymic system in the toad pancreas. Since the activity ratio of this system determines the glucose sensitivity of the insulin secretory mechanism, it is concluded that the possible existence of a higher ratio of these enzymes in toad B cells could explain the particular characteristics of glucose sensitivity in this animal, which in turn may explain its low blood glucose concentration.

Quantitative ultrastructural changes induced by sucrose administration in the pancreatic B cells of normal hamsters

We have previously reported that young male Syrian hamsters receiving a sucrose-rich diet presented increased B-cell replication rate and size. The aim of the present study was to analyze, under the same experimental conditions, the ultrastructural changes in B cells. For this purpose, young male Syrian hamsters were fed with a commercial diet and 10% sucrose in their drinking water (S group) while the control group (C) received the same diet and tap water, for 5 weeks. Samples of the pancreas removed after that period were processed for the immunohistochemical identification of B cells as well as for measuring several ultrastructural parameters. S hamsters showed higher serum insulin levels, while similar serum glucose values were obtained in animals from both groups. The B cells from S group exhibited lesser number of dense secretory granules at expenses of an increase of the pale ones, increased number of both exocytosis profiles and fusion-granule images, as well as enlargement of the intercellular space and mitochondrial area. Marked expansions of this space, limited by junctional complexes, were observed between adjacent B cells. These results would indicate that sucrose administration to normal hamsters not only increases the pancreatic B-cell mass but also induces measurable subcellular changes in the individual B-cell characteristic of an enhanced secretory activity. The present model would represent a useful tool for testing strategies in preventing the damage or promoting the recovery of the pancreatic B cells.

An overview of Argentine contributions to diabetes research in the decade of the 1990s

Argentina has a longstanding tradition of diabetes research, beginning with the seminal work of Prof. Bernardo A. Houssay, who was awarded the first Nobel Prize in Medical Sciences for his studies on the relationship between diabetes and pituitary function. Prof. Luis F. Leloir, who was also awarded the Nobel Prize for his work in carbohydrate metabolism, also inspired younger generations of biologists to work in the field of diabetes research. The aim of this paper is to provide a review of the contributions of Argentine researchers during the 1990s. This manuscript includes only reports of Argentine researchers working on diabetes in local laboratories and quoted in Medline. Thus, important contributions not reported in journals included in Medline or produced by Argentine researchers working abroad may have been omitted. The material consists of a brief description of clinical research (epidemiology and costs, metabolic control, associated risk factors, immunological aspects, and other clinical studies) and basic research (animal model with spontaneous diabetes, islet morphology and function in normal and pathological conditions, insulin action, metabolic disorders related to diabetes, and some miscellaneous effects related to drug-induced diabetes). Altogether, a broad idea of the continuous contribution of our national research to the international field of diabetes is provided, as well as a list of Argentine researchers and research centers devoted to the study of diabetes.

Current awareness

In order to keep subscribers up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, John Wiley & Sons are providing a current awareness service in each issue of the journal. The bibliography contains newly published material in the field of diabetes/metabolism. Each bibliography is divided into 17 sections: 1 Books, Reviews & Symposia; 2 General; 3 Genetics; 4 Epidemiology; 5 Immunology; 6 Prediction; 7 Prevention; 8 Intervention: a) General; b) Pharmacology; 9 Pathology: a) General; b) Cardiovascular; c) Neurological; d) Renal; 10 Endocrinology & Metabolism; 11 Nutrition; 12 Animal Studies; 13 Techniques. Within each section, articles are listed in alphabetical order with respect to author (9 Weeks journals - Search completed at 27th Oct. 1999)

Molecular characterization of the glycated plasma membrane calcium pump

We have previously demonstrated (Diabetes 39:707-711, 1990) that in vitro glycation of the red cell Ca(2+) pump diminishes the Ca(2+)-ATPase activity of the enzyme up to 50%. Such effect is due to the reaction of glucose with lysine residues of the Ca(2+) pump (Biochem. J. 293:369-375, 1993). The aim of this work was to determine whether the effect of glucose is due to a full inactivation of a fraction of the total population of Ca(2+) pump, or to a partial inactivation of all the molecules. Glycation decreased the V(max) for the ATPase activity leaving unaffected the apparent affinities for Ca(2+), calmodulin or ATP. The apparent turnover was identical in both, the glycated and the native enzyme. Glycation decreased the V(max) for the ATP-dependent but not for the calmodulin-activated phosphatase activities. Concomitantly with the inhibition, up to 6.5% of the lysine residues were randomly glycated. The probabilistic analysis of the relation between the enzyme activity and the fraction of nonmodified residues indicates that only one Lys residue is responsible for the inhibition. We suggest that glucose decreases the Ca(2+)-ATPase activity by reacting with one essential Lys residue probably located in the vicinity of the catalytic site, which results in the full inactivation of the enzyme. Thus, Ca(2+)-ATPase activity measured in erythrocyte membranes or purified enzyme preparations preincubated with glucose depends on the remaining enzyme molecules in which the essential Lys residue stays unglycated.

Hormone coexpression in the adult toad endocrine pancreas: double-label immunofluorescence under basal conditions and after glucose injection

We have investigated the type and frequency of hormone coexpression in the endocrine pancreas of amphibians both under basal conditions and after sustained glucose loading. Adult male specimens of the wild toad Bufo arenarum were injected with a 50% (w/v) glucose solution (2 g/100 g) for 2 days, while control animals received an equal volume of the vehicle. Serum glucose levels were measured at the time of sacrifice and the pancreatic free lobe was processed for light microscopy. A double-labeling immunofluorescence study was performed for the detection of insulin (I), glucagon (G), somatostatin (S), and pancreatic polypeptide (PP). Heterospecific antisera against the following hormone combinations were used for their detection and immunocytochemical localization: I+G, I+PP, G+PP, S+G, and S+PP; visualization of the reacted IgG's was effected by fluorescein- and rhodamine-conjugated species-specific antibodies as fluorophores. Intracellular hormone coexpression was found to occur in the combinations G+PP, S+G, and S+PP. Moreover, glucose administration caused, together with a marked hyperglycemia (123 +/- 17 vs 23 +/- 1 mg/dl; P < 0.05), a decrease in the fraction of cells containing both G and PP together (from 106.3 +/- 8.1 to 26 +/- 4 cell/mm2) along with a reciprocal rise in the number of cells possessing G alone (from 128.7-152.3 to 235.9-274 cell/mm2). The fewer number of cells coexpressing either of the other two hormone combinations, however, were unaffected by glucose injection. With respect to the simultaneous measurement of I+G and I+PP, no cells were detected with both hormones of either pair, and the I-containing cells were more frequent in each instance in the control toads (264.8 +/- 22.3 to 269.2 +/- 27 cell/mm2). For both combinations, however, this value diminished significantly in the glucose-treated animals (108 +/- 2 cell/mm2 for I+G and 112.1 +/- 7. 8 cell/mm2 for I+PP). While the G-containing cells became more numerous (rising to 235.9 +/- 12.4, 274 +/- 26, and 250.4 +/- 23.7 cell/mm2 for I-G, G-PP, and G-S combinations, respectively), the PP- and S-containing cells remained unaffected. We conclude that the copresence of different hormones within the same cell is a relatively common finding in the non-I-secreting elements of the adult toad pancreas and that the proportions of specific cell types are affected by glucose administration. We thus propose that intracellular hormonal coexpression in this fashion may well represent a rapid and efficient regulatory mechanism for compensating for the metabolic stress imposed by glucose loading.

Changes induced by sucrose administration upon the morphology and function of pancreatic islets in the normal hamster

BACKGROUND

This report documents sequential changes in islet morphology (cell replication and islet neogenesis) and glucose-induced insulin secretion in young normal male Syrian hamsters.

METHODS

Three-week-old animals received a control standard commercial diet or this diet supplemented with sucrose--10% (w/v) solution in drinking water, a treatment that stimulated pancreatic growth and function--for 5 (C5/S5) or 21 (C21/S21) weeks. Insulin secretion and content were measured in isolated islets, while several biochemical parameters were assessed in serum. Different morphological features were analysed in the endocrine pancreas by quantitative immunocytochemistry.

RESULTS

Serum glucose, triglycerides and total cholesterol levels were comparable among the groups, whereas serum- and pancreatic-insulin levels were higher in the S hamsters. Islets from S21 hamsters released more insulin than those from C21 animals at all glucose concentrations tested. The volume densities of the total endocrine pancreas (1.9 +/- 0.2 vs 1.2 +/- 0.2; p < 0.02) of the beta-cell subpopulation, the islet number per unit area (2.4 +/- 0.1 vs 1.2 +/- 0.1; p < 0.0004) and the beta-cell mass (4.2 +/- 0.5 vs 2.3 +/- 0.5; p < 0.01) were significantly higher in S5 vs C5 animals. Conversely, the islet volume and the number of beta cells/islets were significantly smaller in S5 than in C5 animals. The beta-cell replication rate in S5 hamsters was 10-fold that of C5 animals. All these parameters had comparable values in S21 and C21 animals. We detected cytokeratin-labelled cells located at the islet periphery (in alpha cells) and among the ductular cells, only in the S5 hamsters.

CONCLUSIONS

Sucrose administration to young hamsters causes time-dependent pancreatic modifications, with morphological changes (increase in islet- and in beta-cell mass with incremented beta-cell replication rate and evidence of islet neogenesis) occurring at 5 weeks and insulin secretion (increase in insulin sensitivity to glucose) being mainly affected at 21 weeks. This experimental model could prove useful for studying the mechanisms underlying the control of islet-cell population distribution and for developing new strategies in preventing cell damage.

Effect of 2-hydroxyoestradiol on insulin secretion in normal rat pancreatic islets

The possible action of 2-hydroxyoestradiol (2-OHE2) on glucose-induced insulin secretion was evaluated in pancreatic islets isolated from normal rats by collagenase digestion and incubated in KRB buffer. Insulin output in response to either 3.3 or 16.6 mM glucose was measured by radioimmunoassay in the absence or presence of different concentrations of 2-OHE2, norepinephrine (NE), or oestradiol. Islets were also incubated with 2-OHE2, NE, or oestradiol plus a fixed concentration (1 microM) of the alpha 2-adrenergic-receptor blocking agent yohimbine. The results showed that 2-OHE2, oestradiol and NE within a range of 0.1 to 20 microM inhibited glucose-induced insulin secretion in a dose-dependent manner: Ki (microM): 0.04 +/- 0.0001, 0.04 +/- 0.0002, and 0.01 +/- 9.1 E-6 respectively. This suppression was significantly reversed by yohimbine. Contrary to NE and 2-OHE2, oestradiol at lower concentrations (increasing within a range of 0.001 to 0.05 microM) in incubation medium in the same experimental conditions had a significant stimulatory effect on insulin secretion. Thus, it would appear that catecholoestrogens suppress islet insulin release via alpha 2-adrenergic receptors, which suggests that oestrogens may exert a dual modulatory effect on insulin secretion by enhancing release via direct interaction with the cytosolic-oestrogen receptor and inhibiting release after their local hydroxylation and the interaction of their new catechol moiety with alpha 2-adrenergic receptors. Our results suggest that these compounds may play a complementary role to CAs as negative modulators, and they also provide a broader scope for understanding the effect of oestrogens and/or their metabolites in the control of endocrine functions other than those related to reproduction.

Effect of carbohydrates upon insulin secretion in Bufo arenarum (Amphibia:Bufonidae)

Pancreas pieces of Bufo arenarum were incubated with several sugars at basal and stimulatory concentrations, and with inhibitors of their metabolism, measuring the insulin released by radioimmunoassay. Glucose, mannose, fructose, glyceraldehyde and dihydroxyacetone all at 8 mM, significantly enhanced the release of insulin elicited by basal concentrations of these carbohydrates (2 mM). The nonmetabolizable sugars galactose and 2-deoxyglucose failed to enhance insulin secretion. N-Acetyl-glucosamine at 8 mM did not significantly affect the release of insulin. D-Glucose, but not L-glucose, at 8 mM stimulated insulin secretion above baseline (2 mM glucose). At 8 mM, the D-glucose alpha-anomer significantly increased insulin release, while this effect was not observed using the beta-anomer. Insulin release elicited by 2 mM of the alpha-anomer was significantly higher than that triggered by the beta-anomer. Iodoacetate (5 mM), and dinitrophenol (0.3 mM) exerted an inhibitory effect upon glucose-induced insulin secretion. The effect of these carbohydrates and metabolic inhibitors--tested for the first time in amphibians--was similar to that described in the mammalian pancreas, thus suggesting that such compounds play an important role in the metabolic control of insulin secretion in amphibians.

Modulatory effect of hormones on insulin secretion in vitro in the toad

The aim of this work was to demonstrate the possible direct effect of several hormones upon glucose-induced insulin secretion in amphibians. Hence, pancreas pieces of Bufo arenarum were incubated for 60 min at 25 degrees with 2 and 8 mM glucose plus the addition of hormones known to affect insulin secretion in mammals, measuring the release of insulin by radioimmunoassay. Glucagon (1 microM), ACTH (2.5 microM), human and bovine growth hormone (4.6 and 2.1 microM), prolactin (0.27 microM), corticosterone (0.4 microM), androstanolone (10(-2) microM), estradiol and estrone (10 microM), triiodothyronine and thyroxine (1 microM) enhanced significantly the glucose-induced insulin secretion. Androstanolone, human and bovine growth hormone, triiodothyronine and thyroxine only exerted such effect in the presence of 8 mM glucose. Conversely, somatostatin (1 microM), adrenalin (1 microM), clonidine (2 microM), dexamethasone (0.4 microM), and 2-hydroxyestradiol (5 microM) decreased significantly the glucose-induced insulin release. However, the effect of somatostatin was only apparent in the presence of high glucose. The direct effect of all these hormones--tested for the first time in the amphibian pancreas--was similar to that described in the mammalian pancreas, thus suggesting that such hormones might participate, at least in vitro, in the fine-tuning of insulin secretion in amphibians.

Relationship between non-enzymatic glycosylation and changes in serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and IGF-binding protein-3 levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

The possible occurrence of increased non-enzymatic glycosylation of serum insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) in vivo and the changes that would simultaneously occur in serum levels of IGFBP-3 and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I) were investigated. We measured levels of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 and the degree of glycation of total serum protein and IGFBP-3, in serum samples obtained from patients with poorly controlled non-insulin-dependent diabetes (type 2) and from age-matched non-diabetic controls. Type 2 diabetic patients had significantly higher glycated serum protein (GlyP) levels. GlyP significantly correlated with age in the control (r = 0.315, P<0.05) but not in the type 2 diabetes group. Control and diabetic subjects had comparable serum IGF-I levels and in both groups IGF-I levels tended to decrease with age (r = -0.567, P<0.001 and r = -0.465, P<0.05 for control and type 2 diabetic subjects, respectively). In the type 2 diabetes group, IGF-I levels showed a negative correlation with serum GlyP values (r = -0.476, P<0.05). Type 2 diabetic and control patients had comparable serum IGFBP-3 levels, which were significantly higher in diabetic patients in the older age subgroups. A negative correlation was found between IGFBP-3 levels and age in the control (r = -0.705, P<0.001) and in the type 2 diabetes groups (r = -0.463, P<0.05). A significant negative correlation was found between IGFBP-3 levels and GlyP in control (r = -0.449, P<0.002) but not in type 2 diabetic subjects. The mean glycated IGFBP-3 (GlyIGFBP-3) levels were higher in the oldest type 2 diabetic patients. In these patients, GlyIGFBP-3 was negatively associated with IGF-I levels (r = -0.447, P<0.05). The IGF-I/IGFBP-3 molar ratio was significantly reduced in the 46-60-year-old type 2 diabetic group, whereas the IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio was positively and significantly correlated with GlyP levels only in the control group (r = 0.489, P<0.01). Our results show that: a) increased non-enzymatic glycosylation of IGFBP-3 occurs in vivo; and b) this effect is accompanied by an increase in IGFBP-3 levels. These results suggest that the IGF-I/IGFBP-3 system is another target for the metabolic derangements of type 2 diabetes. Its alterations might play a role in diabetic complications.

Effects of two aldose reductase inhibitors upon sorbitol output, D-glucose metabolism and insulin release in islets from normal and hereditarily diabetic rats

The effects of two aldose reductase inhibitors, ARI 509 (4.0 microM) and tolrestat (40.0 microM), upon sorbitol output, D-[5-3H]glucose and D-[U-14C]glucose metabolism and insulin release were investigated in pancreatic islets prepared from normal rats or hereditarily diabetic animals (Goto-Kakizaki rats) and incubated in the presence of 16.7 mM D-glucose. At this hexose concentration, the output of sorbitol, the utilization of D-[5-3H]glucose, the oxidation of D-[U-14C]glucose and its conversion to 14C-labelled acidic metabolites and amino acids and the secretion of insulin were all much higher than those found in islets exposed to only 2.8 mM D-glucose. In both normal and diabetic rats, the aldose reductase inhibitors suppressed glucose-stimulated sorbitol output, but failed to affect the metabolism of D-[5(-3H]glucose or D-[U-14C]glucose and the secretory response to the hexose. These findings document the efficiency and specificity of ARI 509 and tolrestat as inhibitors of aldose reductase in islet cells, whilst arguing against any major role of sorbitol formation in the stimulus-secretion coupling process for glucose-induced insulin release and any major perturbation of those factors regulating the generation and output of sorbitol in islets of Goto-Kakizaki rats.

Insulin-like growth factor binding proteins from adult-hamster pancreatic islets: influence of glucose concentration

This study investigated the effect of glucose on insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) in islets isolated from pancreas of adult hamsters and compared the response pattern with that of their serum IGFBPs. Serum samples and islets were obtained from adult normal male hamsters, and IGF-binding capacity was measured in aliquots of serum, sonicated islets, or conditioned medium using either 125I-hIGF-I or -II. IGFBPs were characterized in these samples by the ligand-blotting technique, and insulin was measured in conditioned medium by radioimmunoassay. Three IGFBP fractions were identified in serum, with relative molecular weights of 38, 30-33, and 24 kDa, while only two fractions of 30-33 and 24 kDa were identified in islets or in their conditioned medium. Islets cultured with 2 or 16 mM glucose for 48 h released more insulin in the presence of the higher glucose concentration. The binding capacity measured in the islet suspension or conditioned medium increased as a function of glucose concentration in the incubation medium. The IGFBPs present both in islets and conditioned medium had a 3- to 4-fold higher apparent affinity for IGF-II than IGF-I. The higher glucose concentration increased the intensity of the two IGFBP bands identified in the islet suspension by 2- to 3-fold. Our data show that two low-molecular-weight IGFBPs were released from adult hamster pancreatic islets, with a different distribution pattern from that of hamster serum, and that the amount of IGFBPs released by islets depended on the glucose concentration in the culture medium. Though not conclusive, these data suggest that IGFBPs may play a regulatory role in B-cell turnover in adult islets as they do in foetal islets.

Effect of ouabain on insulin secretion in the amphibian pancreas

We investigated the influence of ouabain on glucose-induced insulin release from toad pancreatic minces in the same nanomolar range as that of an ouabain-like compound found in human blood. Ouabain increased insulin secretion at basal (2 mM), but not maximally stimulatory (8 mM), glucose levels in a dose-dependent manner up to an optimal concentration of 1 nM, with the values declining progressively thereafter. Ouabain at 3 nM changed the shape of the overall dose-response curve for glucose from sigmoidal to hyperbolic and displaced the optimal insulinotropic glucose concentration from 8 to 2 mM. Preincubation with ouabain (3 nM) followed by glycoside washout potentiated insulin induction at 2 mM, but not at 8 mM glucose, but this same pretreatment followed by incubation in Ca(2+)-free medium depressed insulin release under all conditions, and especially at high glucose; here, however, the preexposure to ouabain partially prevented the drop in insulin secretion at 8 mM glucose. Acetylcholine at 8 microM augmented insulin release at both levels of glucose, and ouabain potentiated this effect synergistically at high, but not low glucose. Ouabain, at physiologic concentrations, thus appears to regulate the effect of secretagogues such as glucose and acetylcholine in amphibians.

Characteristics, clinical course, and in-hospital mortality of non-insulin-dependent diabetic and nondiabetic patients with acute myocardial infarction in Argentina

The characteristics and clinical course of 1040 cases of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) among non-insulin-dependent diabetics (146) and nondiabetics (894) were compared. Patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) historically showed a greater percentage of AMI, angina, and risk factors than nondiabetic patients. Although the degree of left-ventricular function upon admission (according to the Killip and Kimball scores) was similar in both the diabetic and nondiabetic groups, the prevalence of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia was significantly higher in the NIDDM patients. All told, NIDDM cases were 1.73 [relative risk (RR)] times more likely to die of AMI than nondiabetic patients. The age factor and the presence of shock of any type also significantly increased the case-fatality rate. Diabetic patients showed signs of successful reperfusion less often than control subjects, an event that was closely associated with their case-fatality rate. In the NIDDM group, both the age and gender factor as well as a history of either casual or in-hospital clinical events such as cardiogenic shock, reinfarction, unsuccessful reperfusion, and incidence of anterior AMI along with either pain or previous angina were clear prognosticators of poor outcome from AMI. In the nondiabetic group, cardiogenic shock and hypertension were indicators of poor prognosis. These results would suggest that an improvement in the incidence of successful reperfusion in NIDDM patients, particularly in the face of clinical indicators of poor AMI prognosis, could decrease the high AMI mortality currently observed in these patients.

Presence of DOPA decarboxylase and its localisation in adult rat pancreatic islet cells

The aim of this work was to investigate the possible presence of DOPA decarboxylase (DDC) in endocrine cells of adult rat pancreas. Islet peptide hormones (insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin), as well as DDC, were detected immunohistochemically using the double-immunofluorescence technique and specific antibodies. DDC-like immunoreactivity was present in cytoplasmic granules within endocrine cells located at islet peripheries in a distribution consistent with islet localisation of A cells. Moreover, these same cells stained positively with glucagon antibody. As DDC is an enzyme specifically involved in catecholamine synthesis, insular cells must possess the capacity to elaborate this class of hormone at least up to the dopamine-decarboxylation step. Thus, after further metabolic processing either in A cells or elsewhere, endogenously-synthesised islet catecholamines may be released and participate in paracrine regulation of insulin secretion.

Inhibitory effect of sulfonylureas on protein phosphatase activity in rat pancreatic islets

We have measured protein phosphatase (PP) activity in crude homogenates as well as in the total 105.000 x g supernatant and precipitate fractions from normal rat pancreatic islets. On the basis of the inhibition produced by either 1 nM or 1 microM okadaic acid, both PP1 and PP2A activity were present in crude islet homogenates in equivalent proportions (53% and 47%, respectively); PP1 was the main activity present in the precipitate, whereas in the supernatant it was PP2A. Tolbutamide, glybenclamide and glyclazide significantly decreased PP activity in islet homogenates in a dose-dependent manner, with a K10.5 value that in the case of glybenclamide correlated with its Kd for binding site, its EC50 on KATP channel, and its EC50 on insulin release. These data indicate that PPs play a role in the control of insulin secretion and suggest a further possible target for sulfonylureas within their overall action as insulin secretagogues.

Effect of activators and inhibitors of K+ channels on insulin secretion in the amphibian pancreas

The aim of this study was to obtain pharmacological evidence for the presence and participation of K+ channels in amphibian pancreatic islets. Pancreases from the toad Bufo arenarum were thus incubated with activators or blockers of K+ channels and the immunoreactive insulin released into the medium was measured by radioimmunoassay. Two K(+)-ATP channel openers (diazoxide and BPDZ44) inhibited; while a K(+)-ATP channel blocker (tolbutamide) and metabolizable sugars (glucose, glyceraldehyde) significantly stimulated the output of insulin. Although a nonmetabolizable sugar (galactose) failed to increase insulin release, dinitrophenol decreased the secretagogue effect of glucose. By contrast, although somatostatin and clonidine blocked the release of insulin, tetraethylammonium significantly stimulated secretion. For each compound tested, the effects on both insulin secretion and B-cell K+ channel activity were similar to those observed in the mammalian pancreas. These findings point to the existence of mammalian-like K+ channels in the B-cells of some amphibians.