Role of the adenylate cyclase system in altered insulin release from islets of Langerhans of aging rats

Age-associated changes in pancreatic exocrine secretion of the isolated perfused rat pancreas

Gut functions, such as gastrointestinal motility, gastric secretion and pancreatic secretion, were reduced with age. Glucose tolerance is impaired, and the release of insulin and β-cell's sensitivity on glucose are reduced with age. However, a lot of controversial data have been reported as insulin concentrations after glucose ingestion are either higher or no different in elderly and young subjects. Thus, this study was aimed to investigate whether aging could affect pancreatic exocrine secretion and its action mechanisms. An isolated perfused rat pancreatic model was used to exclude the effects of external nerves or hormones. Pancreatic secretion was increased by CCK under 5.6 mM glucose background in the isolated perfused pancreas of young (3 months), 12 months and 18 months aged rats. There was no significant difference between young and aged rats. In 3 months old rats, CCK-stimulated pancreatic secretion was potentiated under 18 mM glucose background. However, the potentiation effects of endogenous insulin and CCK were not observed in 12 and 18 months old rats. Exogenous insulin also potentiated CCK-stimulated pancreatic secretion in 3 months old rats. Similarly, exogenous insulin failed to potentiate CCK-stimulated pancreatic secretion as that of 3 months old rats. Wet weight of pancreas and amylase content in pancreatic tissue were not changed with age. These results indicate that pancreatic exocrine secretion is reduced with age and endogenous insulin secretion and/or action is involved in this phenomenon.

Impaired cyclic AMP response to stimuli in glucose-desensitized rat pancreatic islets

Isolated islets were either studied immediately after isolation (fresh; F), or were cultured for 6 days at 11 mM glucose (desensitized; D), or were incubated for 2 h at 5.5 mM glucose following D (recovered; R). Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in D islets was reduced compared with F and R islets. In the presence of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, glucose also increased cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels in F islets, but failed to affect cAMP generation in R or D islets. Glucagon alone or in the presence of glucose stimulated insulin release in F and R islets, but the response was blunted in D islets. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP) potentiated insulin secretion in R islets, but not in D islets. Glucagon (0.01-0.1 microM) did not increase cAMP levels in D islets, whereas GLP (0.1 microM) increased cAMP as much as 4.5-fold. R islets recovered adenylyl cyclase responsivity to glucagon, and GLP increased cAMP levels as much as 9-fold. In F islets pretreated with forskolin for 2 h, the cAMP responses to glucose and GLP were inhibited. The cAMP response to forskolin stimulation was similarly inhibited in D islets and in islets pretreated for 2 h with forskolin. Forskolin pretreatment significantly attenuated the islet insulin release response to glucose, although the combined stimulus of glucose and GLP restored insulin release to control values. Insulin secretion in response to glucose and cAMP analogue (Sp)5,6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole-3'-5'-cyclic monophosphorothioate was lower than that observed in F islets. In conclusion, beta-cell cAMP accumulation in response to several stimuli acting through different mechanisms is impaired following continuous glucose stimulation. However, cAMP levels are not the definitive second messenger in the recovery of glucose-sensitive insulin secretion in glucose desensitized islets.

The effect of glucose on insulin release and ion movements in isolated pancreatic islets of rats in old age

1. The effect of glucose on 86Rb+ efflux, 45Ca2+ net uptake and insulin secretion of pancreatic islets from 3- and 24-month-old rats was studied. 2. Raising the glucose concentration from 3 to 5.6 and 16.7 mM had no effect on 86Rb+ efflux from islets of 24-month-old male rats whereas that from 24-month-old female rats was decreased. 3. At 16.7 mM-glucose, net uptake of 45Ca2+ was significantly diminished in islets of 24-month-old rats compared to islets of 3-month-old rats. 4. In the presence of 16.7 mM-glucose, islets of 24-month-old rats exhibited only 60-70% of the insulin release obtained with islets from 3-month-old rats. 5. Neither net uptake of 45Ca2+ nor insulin secretion appear to differ between the sexes. 6. These data suggest that the decreased insulin secretory response to glucose during old age is due, at least in part, to inadequate inhibition of K+ efflux and diminished net uptake of Ca2+.

The capability for regulation of insulin secretion by somatostatin in purified pancreatic islet B cells during aging

Pancreatic islet B cells from Sprague-Dawley and Fisher 344 rats aged 3-27 months were separated from A and D cells by centrifugation over a linear percoll density gradient, and incubated in vitro with various concentrations of glucose and somatostatin. Elevation of glucose concentration in the incubation medium from 2.6 to 16.7 mM provokes an insulin secretory response that is independent of rat donor age. Inhibition of the insulin secretory response by somatostatin is independent of rat donor age beyond 12 months. These data indicate that the impaired regulation of insulin secretion during aging observed previously in vivo and in vitro in intact islets may not be intrinsic to the B cells, but instead reflect changes in islet paracrine regulatory mechanisms that relate to the quality and/or quantity of endogenous somatostatin and/or glucagon.

Hormonal control of glucose homeostasis during development and ageing in mice

Age-related changes in the hormonal control of glucose homeostasis were examined in immature (5-wk-old), young adult (10-wk-old) and older adult (30 and 60-wk-old mice). In immature mice, basal plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were higher than young adult mice. Glucose tolerance was impaired in immature mice, although the plasma insulin response to glucose and other secretagogues (arginine and glucagon) was well developed, and the hypoglycaemic effect of exogenous insulin was not impaired. Glucagon and epinephrine evoked a greater acute hyperglycaemia in immature mice, suggesting that these hormones exert a stronger rapid glucose-raising effect in preadult life. Basal plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were lowest in young adult mice, and increased with advancing adult age. Glucose tolerance was best in young adult mice and deteriorated with age, while plasma insulin concentrations after administration of glucose, arginine and glucagon were lowest in young adult mice and increased with age. However, in response to these secretagogues, the percentage increase in plasma insulin above basal was reduced in older adult mice. This indicates a defect of stimulus-recognition-secretion-coupling in the B-cells of older adult mice. The raised plasma glucose concentrations of older adult mice could not be attributed to an increase in the acute hyperglycaemic action of glucagon or epinephrine. The hypoglycaemic response to exogenous insulin decreased with age, suggesting that tissue sensitivity to insulin was impaired. Treatment with growth hormone and cortisone for 5 days produced a greater antagonism of insulin in older mice than young adult or immature mice. Growth hormone impaired glucose tolerance at each age, but only produced a marked hyperinsulinaemia in older adult mice. In contrast, cortisone produced a marked hyperinsulinaemia at each age, but only impaired glucose tolerance in older adult mice.