Assessment of islet beta-cell mass in isolated rat pancreases perfused with D-[(3)H]mannoheptulose.

D-mannoheptulose is apparently transported into cells mainly at the intervention of GLUT-2 and hence was recently proposed as a tool to label preferentially insulin-producing beta-cells in the pancreatic gland. The validity of such a proposal was investigated in the present study conducted in isolated perfused pancreatic glands from control and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. After a 30-min equilibration period, D-[(3)H]mannoheptulose (0.1 mM) and [U-(14)C]sucrose (0.5 mM) were infused for 15 min in the presence of 30 mM D-glucose. The pancreatic glands were then perfused for 10 min with a nonradioactive medium during and after administration of cytochalasin B (0.02 mM). Under these experimental conditions, the intracellular distribution space of D-[(3)H]mannoheptulose averaged 5.42 +/- 0.75 nl/mg in control animals, whereas it failed to be significantly different from zero in the streptozotocin rats. The present procedure may thus allow the assessment of the relative contribution of islet beta-cells to the total mass of the pancreatic gland.

Effects of D-mannoheptulose and its hexaacetate ester on hormonal secretion from the perfused pancreas.

D-mannoheptulose was recently proposed to be transported into cells by GLUT2, whereas its hexaacetate ester may cross the plasma membrane without requiring the intervention of a specific carrier system. In the light of these proposals, the effects of unesterified D-mannoheptulose and D-mannoheptulose hexaacetate upon hormonal secretion by the perfused rat pancreas were now investigated. Unesterified D-mannoheptulose (1.7 mM) inhibited insulin release and, in most cases, somatostatin output, whereas it augmented glucagon secretion by pancreases exposed to D-glucose (3.3 mM) in the presence of the dimethyl ester of succinic acid (SAD, 10.0 mM). The heptose failed, however, to affect hormonal secretion in the sole presence of SAD. D-mannoheptulose hexaacetate (also 1.7 mM) reproduced, within limits, the effects of unesterified D-mannoheptulose in pancreases exposed to both D-glucose and SAD. In addition, however, the ester displayed a positive effect upon the secretion of the three hormones, even in the sole presence of SAD. These findings support the view that monosaccharide esters may affect the secretion of pancreatic hormones in a dual manner, linked to both the metabolic response to their glucidic moiety and a direct effect of the ester itself. Moreover, they reveal that unesterified D-mannoheptulose is able to antagonize the effect of D-glucose upon hormonal secretion even in cells claimed not to contain GLUT2. The modality by which D-mannoheptulose apparently gains access to the cytosol of these cells remains to be elucidated.

Stimulation by 2-deoxy-D-glucose tetraacetates of hormonal secretion from the perfused rat pancreas.

The effects of alpha- and beta-2-deoxy-D-glucose tetraacetate (1.7 and 8.5 mM) on insulin, somatostatin, and glucagon secretion from isolated rat pancreases perfused in the presence of 8.3 mM D-glucose were compared with those of unesterified 2-deoxy-D-glucose tested at the same two concentrations. The unesterified glucose analog caused, in a concentration-related manner, inhibition of glucose-induced insulin and somatostatin release and augmentation of glucagon secretion. The two anomers of 2-deoxy-D-glucose tetraacetate, however, increased the secretion rate of all three hormones; this effect was also related to the concentration of the esters. No obvious anomeric specificity of the secretory response to 2-deoxy-D-glucose tetraacetate was observed. These findings indicate that the insulinotropic action of hexose esters cannot be accounted for solely by the metabolic effect of their glucidic moieties. They suggest that the A, B, and D cells of the endocrine pancreas are each equipped with a receptor system responsible for the direct recognition of monosaccharide esters as secretagogues. They further support the view that a paracrine effect of insulin on glucagon-producing cells does not represent a major component in the regulation of their secretory activity.

Dual mode of action of glucose pentaacetates on hormonal secretion from the isolated perfused rat pancreas.

Isolated perfused rat pancreases were exposed, in the presence of 10. 0 mM L-leucine, to either alpha-D-glucose pentaacetate, beta-L-glucose pentaacetate, or unesterified D-glucose, all tested at a 1.7 mM concentration. The pentaacetate ester of alpha-D-glucose and, to a lesser extent, that of beta-L-glucose stimulated both insulin and somatostatin release, whereas unesterified D-glucose failed to do so. In the case of insulin output, the two esters differed from one another not solely by the magnitude of the secretory response but also by its time course and reversibility. Compared with these data, the most salient difference found in the case of somatostatin release consisted of the absence of an early secretory peak in response to alpha-D-glucose pentaacetate administration and the higher paired ratio between the secretory responses evoked by the esters of glucose and by unesterified D-glucose (5.5 mM) administered at the end of the experiments. The two esters provoked an initial and short-lived stimulation of glucagon secretion, in sharp contrast to the immediate inhibitory action of unesterified D-glucose. Thereafter, alpha-D-glucose pentaacetate, but not beta-L-glucose pentaacetate, caused inhibition of glucagon release, such an effect being reversed when the administration of the ester was halted. These findings indicate a dual mode of action of glucose pentaacetate esters on hormonal secretion from the endocrine pancreas. The intracellular hydrolysis of alpha-D-glucose pentaacetate and subsequent catabolism of its hexose moiety may contribute to the early peak-shaped insulin response to this ester, to the persistence of a positive secretory effect in B and D cells after cessation of its administration, and to the late inhibition of glucagon release. However, a direct effect of the esters themselves, by some as-of-yet unidentified coupling process, is postulated to account for the stimulation of insulin and somatostatin release by beta-L-glucose pentaacetate and for the initial enhancement of glucagon secretion provoked by both glucose esters.

GLP-1 receptors in golden Syrian hamster islets: identification and functional characterization.

This study aims at the identification and functional characterization of glucagon-like peptide 1 (7-36) amide (GLP-1) receptor in islets from Golden Syrian hamsters. Using a polyclonal antibody against rat GLP-1 receptors, Western blotting of the islet proteins revealed two major bands of 44 and 70 kDa, similar to those found in rat islets, RINm5F cells, and HIT-T15 cells. In Northern blots, transcripts of 2.7, 3.6 and 3.7 kb were observed in rat islets and RINm5F cells after hybridization with rat GLP-1 receptor cDNA probes of either 21 9 bp or 1.5 kb. Such was not the case in either hamster islets or HIT-T15 cells. However, a single 3.6-kb transcript was observed in the latter two cases when a human GLP-1 receptor cDNA probe of 1.6 kb was used for hybridization. In the isolated perfused pancreas of Golden Syrian hamsters, a rise in D-glucose concentration from 3.3 to 8.3 mM caused a biphasic stimulation of insulin release, which was further increased by either GLP-1 or glucagon (10(-9)M each). The enhancing action of GLP-1 on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion was much more marked than that of glucagon. The rise in D-glucose concentration decreased by 46+/-4% the release of glucagon, but GLP-1 failed to exert any obvious effect on glucagon secretion in the presence of 8.3 mM D-glucose. These results indicate that GLP-1 receptors are expressed in islets of Golden Syrian hamsters with an extracellular part possessing the same immunoreactivity as the rat islet GLP-1 receptors. The expression of the mRNA for the GLP-1 receptor differs, however, from that found in rat or human islets.

Failure of human and mouse leptin to affect insulin, glucagon and somatostatin secretion by the perfused rat pancreas at physiological glucose concentration.

In isolated perfused pancreas from normal rats, a rise in d-glucose concentration from 3.3 to 8.3 mM provoked a rapid phasic stimulation of both insulin and somatostatin secretion and rapid fall in glucagon output, these changes being reversed when the concentration of the hexose was brought back to its initial low level. In the presence of 8.3 mM d-glucose, the administration of either human or mouse leptin (10 nM in both cases) for 15 min failed to affect significantly the perfusion pressure and release of the three hormones. It is concluded that leptin does not exert any major immediate and direct effect upon pancreatic insulin, glucagon and somatostatin secretion, at least at the physiological concentration of d-glucose normally found in the plasma of fed rats.

Modulation of gliquidone action by forskolin in the pancreas of normal and GK rats.

This study aims to investigate whether agents that stimulate adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) formation could be used to increase insulin release evoked by hypoglycemic sulfonylureas in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. For this purpose, the effect of gliquidone (1.0 microM) on insulin and glucagon release was examined in the perfused pancreas of either normal or Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats at a low concentration of D-glucose (2.8 mM) and in the absence or presence of forskolin (1.3 microM). In normal rats, the diterpene exerted relatively little effect on basal insulin release but markedly augmented the insulinotropic action of gliquidone. In GK rats, forskolin dramatically augmented both basal and gliquidone-stimulated insulin output. In mirror image of its effect on insulin release, forskolin augmented basal glucagon output and failed to increase the secretory response of the A cell to gliquidone, at least in normal rats. On the contrary, in GK rats, forskolin, while slightly enhancing basal glucagon output, unmasked the glucagonotropic potential of gliquidone that was otherwise not detected in the diabetic animals. These findings are interpreted in light of a dual metabolic and energy-independent response of islet cells to the forskolin-induced generation of cAMP. They document the optimalization by endogenous cAMP of the B cell secretory response to gliquidone in non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

Effect of C-peptide on insulin and glucagon release by isolated perfused rat pancreas.

Administration of rat C-peptide (0.1 mumol/l) to isolated rat pancrease failed to inhibit insulin release induced by a high concentration of D-glucose (11.1 mmol/l) but prevented the progressive increase in insulin output otherwise observed during prolonged perfusion in the presence of 3.3 mmol/l glucose and 5.0 mmol/l L-arginine. In these experiments, C-peptide failed to affect glucagon output. The findings suggest that in suitable conditions C-peptide can inhibit insulin release.

Stimulation of insulin and somatostatin release by two meglitinide analogs.

Several meglitinide analogs are currently under investigation as potential insulinotropic tools for the treatment of noninsulin-dependent diabetes. The present study aimed to further insight into the effect of these agents on the secretion of insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin by the isolated perfused pancreas. Both repaglinide (0.01 microM) and A-4166 (1.0 microM) stimulated insulin and somatostatin release, but failed to affect glucagon output, from pancreases exposed to 5.6 mM D-glucose. The secretory response of the B- and D-cells to the hypoglycemic agents was much less marked than that caused by a rise in hexose concentration from 5.6-16.7 mM. Although repaglinide was tested at a concentration a hundred times lower than that of A-4166, the drug-induced increase in both insulin and somatostatin secretion persisted for a longer time after exposure to repaglinide, than to A-4166. The relevance of these findings to the use of meglitinide analogs as antidiabetic agents is double. First, they document that these drugs, although enhancing both insulin and somatostatin release, do not provoke an undesirable stimulation of glucagon secretion. Second, they indicate that even at a very low concentration, repaglinide provokes a protracted insulinotropic action, thus suggesting that the reversibility of the secretory response to this or other meglitinide analogs represents an intrinsic molecular attribute, unrelated to either their biological potency or the relative extent of B-cell stimulation.

Do leptin receptors play a functional role in the endocrine pancreas?

It was recently speculated that leptin may exert a direct inhibitory effect upon insulin release from the pancreatic B-cell. This proposal meets, however, with two objections. First, although the message for leptin receptors is indeed detected in rat pancreatic islets, the short form of this receptor, for which no signalling function is known, represents the major species present in islet cells. Second, in the isolated perfused rat pancreas, leptin (1.0 nM) fails to affect the release of either insulin or glucagon.

Potentiation of GLP-1 insulinotropic action by a nonglucidic nutrient in the pancreas of diabetic GK rats.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) is often referred to as a glucose-dependent insulinotropic agent and is currently under investigation as a tool in the treatment of noninsulin-dependent diabetes. This report shows that, in the absence of glucose, a nonglucidic nutrient, namely succinic acid dimethyl ester (SAD), allows full expression of the insulinotropic potential of GLP-1 in the perfused pancreas from diabetic GK rats. Thus, whereas the insulin and glucagon responses to GLP-1 in GK rats differ from those previously documented in nondiabetic animals when tested in the absence of exogenous nutrient, the secretory response of the endocrine pancreas to GLP-1 is virtually normalized in the GK rats when SAD is incorporated into the perfusate. It is proposed, therefore, that nonglucidic nutrients, such as SAD, may optimalize the B-cell secretory response to GLP-1 in noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Relevance of lactate dehydrogenase activity to the control of oxidative glycolysis in pancreatic islet B-cells.

The activities of hexokinase isoenzymes, lactate dehydrogenase, cytosolic NAD-linked glycerophosphate dehydrogenase, mitochondrial FAD-linked glycerophosphate dehydrogenase, and glutamate dehydrogenase were measured in homogenates of rat purified pancreatic B and non-B islet cells. In B cell homogenates, the maximal activity of hexokinase and glucokinase was one to two orders of magnitude lower than that of lactate dehydrogenase. The activity of the mitochondrial FAD-linked glycerophosphate dehydrogenase was also much lower than that of the cytosolic NAD-linked glycerophosphate dehydrogenase . A comparable hierarchy in the activity of these enzymes was observed in non-B islet cells. These findings reinforce the view that the preferential stimulation of oxidative glycolysis observed in insulin-producing cells, when exposed to high concentrations of D-glucose, is attributable to a Ca2+-induced activation of the mitochondrial FAD-linked glycerophosphate dehydrogenase, rather than to saturation of the catalytic activity of lactate dehydrogenase.

Potentiation of glucagon-like peptide 1 insulinotropic action by succinic acid dimethyl ester.

The glucagon-like peptide 1 (7-36) amide (GLP-1, 1.0 nM) was administered to isolated rat pancreases perfused either in the absence of exogenous nutrient or presence of 10 mM succinic acid dimethyl ester (SAD). In the absence of any exogenous nutrient, GLP-1 failed to affect either insulin or glucagon release. The administration of SAD caused a biphasic stimulation of insulin output and inhibited glucagon secretion. In the presence of SAD, GLP-1 still failed to affect glucagon release, but markedly enhanced insulin secretion. These findings indicate that GLP-1 is not truly a glucose-dependent, but rather nutrient-dependent insulin secretagogue. They also suggest that non-glucidic nutrients, such as SAD, could be used to optimalize the B-cell secretory response to GLP-1 in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

In vitro and in vivo insulinotropic action of methyl pyruvate.

Methyl pyruvate, when tested at a 10mM concentration, caused a rapid and sustained increase of insulin release evoked by either 7.0 or 16.7 mM D-glucose in the isolated perfused rat pancreas. Under these conditions, methyl pyruvate caused a modest and biphasic stimulation of glucagon release. In anaesthetized fed rats, methyl pyruvate (1.0 to 2.5 mumol/g body wt) given intravenously provoked a short-lived and dose-related increase in plasma insulin concentration, but failed to affect plasma glucagon concentration. D-glucose and methyl pyruvate, when injected together, acted additively upon insulin release. The in vivo secretory response to methyl pyruvate was comparable in fed, overnight fasted and 2-d starved rats, and only slightly decreased in fed animals that were injected with streptozotocin during the neonatal period. These results suggest that methyl pyruvate could be used as an insulinotropic agent to bypass site-specific defects of D-glucose metabolism in the B-cell, such as those found in starvation or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Restricted effect of formycin A and non-glucidic nutrients upon insulin release in islets from rats with hereditary or acquired non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

Pancreatic islets isolated from control rats, Goto-Kakizaki rats and adult rats that were injected with streptozotocin during the neonatal period were incubated for two successive period of 90 min each in the presence of D-glucose (11.1 mM) with or without formycin A (1.0 mM), and in the presence of the dimethyl ester of succinic acid (SAD, 10.0 mM) with or without palmitate (1.0 mM). Although formycin A augmented glucose-stimulated insulin release in both control and diabetic rats, it failed to compensate for the impaired secretory response to D-glucose in the latter animals. Likewise, non-glucidic nutrients such as SAD and/or palmitate failed to display a more efficient insulinotropic action, relative to basal insulin output, in diabetic than control rats. These results indicate that both formycin A and non-glucidic nutrients are unable, through their immediate insulinotropic action, to restore a normal output of insulin in islets of animals with inherited or acquired non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

Pancreatic islet response to dicarboxylic acid esters in rats with type 2 diabetes: enzymatic, metabolic and secretory aspects.

This study aimed to compare the metabolic and secretory responses of pancreatic islets from animals with non-insulin-dependent diabetes to D-glucose with the effects of the methyl esters of succinic acid (SME) and glutamic acid (GME). The insulin secretory response to D-glucose was impaired in islets from rats with diabetes which was either inherited (Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats) or acquired (streptozotocin-treated (STZ) rats). This coincided with a preferential alteration of oxidative relative to total glycolysis in intact islets and a selective defect of FAD-linked mitochondrial glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (m-GDH) in islet homogenates. This enzymatic defect was also found in purified B cells from STZ rats. It contrasted both with unaltered activities of glutamate dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenase in the islets of diabetic animals and with a normal or even increased activity of m-GDH in the livers of GK and STZ rats. The oxidation of [1,4-14C]SME and [U-14C]GME appeared decreased in islets of GK or STZ animals when compared with control rats, but no significant difference between control and diabetic rats was observed when the oxidative data were expressed relative to the rate of [U-14C]GME hydrolysis. Nevertheless, the absolute values for insulin release evoked by a non-metabolized analogue of L-leucine (BCH), by SME and by the association of BCH with either SME or GME were invariably lower in islets of GK and STZ rats than in those of control animals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Insulinotropic action of glutamic acid dimethyl ester.

Glutamic acid dimethyl ester (GME; 3.0-10.0 mM) enhanced insulin release evoked by 6.0-8.3 mM D-glucose, 1.0-10.0 mM L-leucine, or 5.0-10.0 mM 2-amino-bicyclo(2,2,1)heptane-2-carboxylic acid, causing a shift to the left of the sigmoidal relationship between insulin output and D-glucose concentration. In the absence of D-glucose, GME also unmasked the insulinotropic potential of glibenclamide. In islets exposed to L-leucine, the insulinotropic action of GME coincided with an early fall and later increase in 86Rb outflow and augmentation of 45Ca outflow from prelabeled islets. The measurement of O2 uptake, NH4+ output, production of 14CO2 from islets prelabeled with [U-14C]palmitate, generation of 14C-labeled amino acids and 14CO2 from the dimethyl ester of either L-[1-14C]glutamic acid or L-[U-14C]glutamic acid, and D-[2-14C]glucose as well as D-[6-14C]glucose oxidation in the presence or absence of GME indicated that the latter ester was efficiently converted to L-glutamate and its further metabolites. The overall gain in O2 uptake represented the balance between GME oxidation and its sparing action on the catabolism of endogenous fatty acids and exogenous D-glucose. It is proposed that GME might represent a new tool to bypass beta-cell defects in D-glucose transport, phosphorylation, and further metabolism and, hence, to stimulate insulin release in experiments conducted in animal models of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Impaired FAD-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase activity in islet and liver homogenates of fa/fa rats.

The mitochondrial FAD-linked enzyme glycerophosphate dehydrogenase plays a key role in the pancreatic B-cell glucose sensing device. In the present study, the activity of this enzyme was examined in islets of fa/fa rats in which inherited diabetes mellitus is associated with obesity, hyperinsulinism and severe insulin resistance. The specific activity of both FAD-linked glycerophosphate dehydrogenase and glutamate dehydrogenase were decreased in islet and liver homogenates prepared from fa/fa, as compared to Fa/Fa, rats, this coinciding with a low ratio between glutamateoxalacetate and glutamate-pyruvate transaminase activity in both islet and liver extracts, islet hyperplasia, hyperinsulinemia and hepatic steatosis in the hyperglycemic fa/fa rats. It is speculated that a low activity of FAD-linked glycerophosphate dehydrogenase in the pancreatic B-cell may participate to the perturbation of glucose homeostasis in fa/fa rats, like in other animal models of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Secretory, biosynthetic, respiratory, cationic, and metabolic responses of pancreatic islets to palmitate and oleate.

Palmitate and oleate (0.5 to 1.0 mM) caused a time- and concentration-related augmentation of insulin release evoked by D-glucose (6.0 to 16.7 mM) in rat isolated pancreatic islets. This contrasted with an inhibitory action of the fatty acids upon L-[4-3H]phenylalanine incorporation into TCA-precipitable material, but coincided with an increased biosynthesis of proinsulin relative to that of other islet peptides. The failure of palmitate to cause an immediate increase in insulin output at a low glucose concentration (6.0 mM) coincided with an unchanged rate of O2 uptake over a 10- to 15-min exposure to this fatty acid. Over prolonged incubation (90 min), however, both palmitate and oleate (1.0 mM) stimulated 45Ca net uptake by islets exposed to 6.0 mM D-glucose. Like their insulinotropic effect, the time course for the oxidation of [U-14C]palmitate and [U-14C]oleate was characterized by a progressive buildup in 14CO2 production rate. Moreover, palmitate and oleate decreased D-[5-3H]glucose conversion to 3HOH and D-[U-14C]glucose conversion to radioactive acidic metabolites over short (30 min) but not prolonged (120 min) incubation periods. The two fatty acids also interfered with the generation of 14CO2 from islets prelabeled with [U-14C]palmitate, but not L-[U-14C]glutamine. It is concluded that, at least during prolonged exposure to either palmitate or oleate, the secretory, cationic, and metabolic response to these fatty acids displays features comparable to those usually found in islets stimulated by nutrient secretagogues.

Enhancement by succinic acid dimethyl ester of insulin release evoked by D-glucose and glimepiride in the perfused pancreas of normoglycemic and hyperglycemic rats.

The present study deals with the insulinotropic action of the dimethyl ester of succinic acid (SAD), considered as a potential tool for the treatment of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. In the perfused pancreas prepared from either euglycemic rats or animals first infused for 48 hours with a solution of D-glucose, SAD (10 mM) markedly enhanced insulin output evoked by a high concentration of D-glucose (16.7 mM), whether in the absence or presence of glimepiride (0.5 microM). The succinate ester failed, however, to affect glucagon secretion. Thus, SAD indeed displays favourable attributes for stimulation of insulin release in type 2 diabetes, with emphasis on its insulinotropic efficiency at high concentrations of D-glucose in an animal model of B-cell glucotoxicity.