Pancreatic fate of D-[3H] mannoheptulose.

D-Mannoheptulose was recently postulated to be transported into cells by GLUT2. The validity of such an hypothesis was assessed by comparing the uptake of tritiated D-mannoheptulose by pancreatic islets versus pieces of pancreas and, in the latter case, by comparing results obtained in control rats versus animals injected with streptozotocin (STZ). The uptake of D-[3H] mannoheptulose by islets represents a time-related and temperature-sensitive process, inhibited by cytochalasin B and enhanced by D-glucose. The uptake of the tritiated heptose was much lower in pieces of pancreatic tissue and inhibited by D-glucose, at least in the STZ rats. Whether in pieces of pancreas exposed in vitro to D-[3H] mannoheptulose or after intravenous injection of the tritiated heptose, the radioactive content of the pancreatic tissue was lower in STZ rats than in control animals. This contrasted with an unaltered radioactive content of liver and muscle in the STZ rats, at least when treated with insulin. Suitably radiolabelled D-mannoheptulose or an analogue of the heptose could thus conceivably be used for quantification of the endocrine pancreatic mass.

Labeling of pancreatic glycogen by D-[U-14c]glucose in hyperglycemic rats.

Under conditions of sustained hyperglycemia, glycogen accumulates in pancreatic islets, but not so in acinar pancreatic cells. We investigated whether advantage could be taken of such a situation in the perspective of the noninvasive imaging of the endocrine pancreas. Control rats or animals injected with streptozotocin (STZ) were infused with solutions of D-glucose mixed with a tracer amount of D-[U-14C]glucose, and the radioactive glycogen content of both liver and pancreas was then measured. After 48 h of infusion, the radioactive glycogen content of the pancreas was 30 times lower in STZ rats than in control animals, coinciding with a 50 times lower insulin content. In the control rats, a sizable labeling of pancreatic glycogen was also recorded when D-[U-14C]glucose was infused for only the last 4 h of unlabeled D-glucose infusion; such a labeling was not decreased when the animals were further infused for 1 h with only the unlabeled hexose. Moreover, a pronounced difference in the pancreatic gland and blood radioactive content of control rats was still observed when the hyperglycemic animals were killed only 40 min after the i.v. injection of D-[U-14C]glucose. In STZ rats transplanted with islets and later infused with D-[U-14C]glucose, the total radioactive content and radioactive glycogen content were both much higher in the transplanted islets than in the pancreatic gland. These results allow one to define the conditions under which the administration of either 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose or 11C-labeled D-glucose could conceivably be used to favor the selective labeling of the endocrine, as distinct from exocrine, pancreas.

Pancreatic fate of a (125)I-labelled mouse monoclonal antibody directed against pancreatic B-cell surface ganglioside(s) in control and diabetic rats.

The possible use of a mouse monoclonal antibody directed against rat pancreatic B-cell surface ganglioside(s) and labelled with radioactive iodine for selective imaging of the endocrine pancreas by a non-invasive procedure was investigated by following its pancreatic fate in experiments conducted either in vitro by incubation of rat isolated pancreatic islets, acinar tissue and pancreatic pieces or in vivo after intravenous injection of the (125)I-labelled antibodies ([(125)I]gamma-G). Although the binding of [(125)I]gamma-G per microg protein was about one order of magnitude higher in isolated islets than in acinar tissue, no significant difference was detected when comparing pancreatic pieces or isolated islets from control animals and rats rendered diabetic by one or two prior administrations of streptozotocin (STZ rats). Likewise, except in one set of experiments, no significant difference was found between control animals and STZ rats, when measuring the radioactive content of the pancreatic gland, relative to that of plasma, 1-4 days after the intravenous injection of [(125)I]gamma-G. These findings indicate that under the present experimental conditions, the mouse monoclonal antibody labelled with radioactive iodine does not appear to be a promising tool for selective imaging of the endocrine pancreas, e.g. by single photon emission computerized tomography.

Pancreatic uptake of [2-(14)C]alloxan.

The uptake of [2-(14)C]alloxan by the pancreatic gland was investigated in control and streptozotocin-induced diabetic (STZ) rats, using both in vitro and in vivo techniques. Whether after 10 to 60 min incubation of pieces of pancreas in the presence of [2-(14)C]alloxan or 60 min to 24 h after intravenous injection of [2-(14)C]alloxan to control and insulin-treated STZ rats, the radioactive content of the pancreas (dpm/mg wet weight) only represented, in the STZ rats, about two thirds of the reference value found in control animals. These findings indicate that insulin-producing islet B-cells participate to a sizeable extent to the overall uptake of [2-(14)C]- alloxan by the whole pancreatic gland, despite the fact that they account for no more than about one percent of the total pancreas mass. Hence, it should be possible to preferentially label the endocrine moiety of the pancreas, in the perspective of its imaging and quantification by a non-invasive procedure, by use of a suitable radiolabelled molecule selectively taken up by islet, as distinct from acinar, pancreatic cells.

D-mannoheptulose uptake and its metabolic and secretory effects in human pancreatic islets.

D-mannoheptulose was recently proposed to be transported into cells at the intervention of GLUT2. Since GLUT1, rather than GLUT2, represents the major carrier system for the transport of monosaccharides across the islet B-cell plasma membrane in human subjects, the uptake of D-mannoheptulose and its metabolic and secretory effects were investigated in human islets. The uptake of D-glucose reached much more rapidly a close-to-equilibrium value in isolated islets than in pieces of pancreas obtained from the same donor. The distribution space of D-[3H]mannoheptulose in the human islets largely exceeded that of [U-14C]sucrose, considered as an extracellular marker, and did not differ significantly from that of 3HOH. In the human islets, the heptose (10.0 mM) inhibited both D-[5-3H]glucose utilization and D-[U-14C] glucose oxidation, and decreased glucose-stimulated insulin release to the same extent as D-mannoheptulose hexaacetate. These findings indicate that a suitable radioactive analog of D-mannoheptulose could be used, in human like in rat islets, for preferential labelling of the endocrine moiety of the pancreatic gland.

Pancreatic fate of 6-deoxy-6-[125I]iodo-D-glucose: in vivo experiments.

The fate of 6-deoxy-6-[125I]iodo-D-glucose (6-DIG), injected intravenously, was compared in control rats and animals that had received streptozotocin and were then treated with insulin or not. In the control rats, the measurement of plasma radioactivity suggested that, after an initial and rapid (up to min 10) distribution phenomenon (Kvalue: 12.2 x 10(-2) min(-1)), the clearance of the iodinated hexose occurred mainly by glomerular filtration (K value: 0.2 x 10(-2) min(-1)). Three minutes after the injection of 6-DIG, the radioactive content of muscle, liver, and pancreas, relative to the paired value in blood, was lower in untreated diabetic rats than in control animals. In the case of muscle and liver, such a difference was no longer observed when the treatment of the diabetic rats by insulin resulted in restoration of normoglycemia. In the pancreas, however, the radioactive content, whether expressed relative to the paired blood or liver value, remained significantly lower in the insulin-treated diabetic rats than in the control animals. No significant difference between control and diabetic rats, in terms of pancreatic radioactivity, was observed 10 min after the injection of 6-DIG. These findings indicate that advantage can be taken from the vastly different time course for 6-DIG uptake by pancreatic acinar and islet cells, as recently documented in vitro, to label preferentially the endocrine moiety of the pancreatic gland shortly after 6-DIG injection.

Uptake of tritiated glibenclamide by endocrine and exocrine pancreas.

Tritiated glibenclamide binds to specific receptors and is internalized in pancreatic insulin-producing B-cells. We investigated, therefore, whether tritiated glibenclamide could be used to preferentially label the endocrine, as distinct from exocrine, pancreas. In isolated rat pancreatic islets, the net uptake of 3H-glibenclamide reached within 30 min of incubation a near-equilibrium value, corresponding to an apparent distribution space close to three to four times the islet volume. In pieces of pancreas exposed up to 1 h to 3H-glibenclamide, however, its apparent distribution space progressively increased and, even at the min 60 of incubation, did not exceed a third of the wet weight of the pieces. Yet, no significant difference could be detected between the time course for 3H-glibenclamide uptake by pancreatic pieces from either control animals or rats injected with streptozotocin a few days before the experiments. Likewise, no significant difference in the paired ratio between the radioactive content of the pancreas and plasma could be found between the control and diabetic rats when examined 1, 5, or 24 h after the IV administration of 3H-glibenclamide. These findings indicate that the sulfonylurea does not represent a suitable tool for preferential labeling of the endocrine pancreas in the perspective of its imaging by a noninvasive procedure.

Uptake of tritiated glibenclamide by endocrine and exocrine pancreas.

Tritiated glibenclamide binds to specific receptors and is internalized in pancreatic insulin-producing B-cells. We investigated, therefore, whether tritiated glibenclamide could be used to preferentially label the endocrine, as distinct from exocrine, pancreas. In isolated rat pancreatic islets, the net uptake of 3H-glibenclamide reached within 30 min of incubation a near-equilibrium value, corresponding to an apparent distribution space close to three to four times the islet volume. In pieces of pancreas exposed up to 1 h to 3H-glibenclamide, however, its apparent distribution space progressively increased and, even at the min 60 of incubation, did not exceed a third of the wet weight of the pieces. Yet, no significant difference could be detected between the time course for 3H-glibenclamide uptake by pancreatic pieces from either control animals or rats injected with streptozotocin a few days before the experiments. Likewise, no significant difference in the paired ratio between the radioactive content of the pancreas and plasma could be found between the control and diabetic rats when examined 1, 5, or 24 h after the IV administration of 3H-glibenclamide. These findings indicate that the sulfonylurea does not represent a suitable tool for preferential labeling of the endocrine pancreas in the perspective of its imaging by a noninvasive procedure.

Fate of 6-deoxy-6-[123I]iodo-D-glucose in normal and diabetic rats.

The D-glucose analog 6-deoxy-6-¿123Iiodo-D-glucose (6-DIG) was recently proposed as a potential tracer for the in vivo characterization of D-glucose transport in distinct cell types. In this study, the validity of such a proposal was investigated in both control and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. 6-DIG was injected intravenously in either control or diabetic rats. The fate of 6-DIG was assessed by scintigraphy of the injected animals, blood and urine sampling, and measurement of tissue radioactivity at the time of sacrifice, 140 min after 6-DIG injection. The half-life for 6-DIG in plasma and its accumulation in kidney and urinary bladder indicated that it was mainly eliminated from the body by glomerular filtration. The urinary elimination of 6-DIG was accelerated, however, in the polyuric diabetic rats. Bile formation also apparently contributed to the clearance of 6-DIG. Its uptake by liver, heart and muscles yielded values lower than blood concentration. The usefulness of 6-DIG as a tracer for D-glucose transport in selected organs in the perspective of clinical application, e.g. by single photon emission computed tomography, requires further investigations.

Fate of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose in control and diabetic rats.

Recent experiments conducted in vitro have documented a marked difference in the time course for D-[U-14C]glucose net uptake by pieces of pancreatic tissue versus isolated pancreatic islets. The present study aimed, therefore, at assessing whether the endocrine pancreas contributes to a detectable extent to the overall net uptake of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) by the pancreatic gland. For this purpose, the radioactive content of the pancreas was compared to that of plasma, erythrocytes, liver, brain, hypophysis and parotid gland 3 min, 15 min and 240 min after the intravenous injection of FDG to both control rats and animals injected with streptozotocin and later treated with insulin or not. In the control rats, the radioactive content (cpm/mg wet wt.) of erythrocytes was always lower than that of liver. In other organs, it displayed the following hierarchy pancreas < parotid < hypophysis < brain, the absolute values being either lower (3 min) or much higher (240 min) than in liver. In the diabetic rats, whether treated with insulin or not, the radioactive content of erythrocytes, pancreas, brain, hypophysis and parotid gland, relative to the paired value found in liver, was equal or lower than that of control rats when the animals were hyperglycemic and equal or higher than that of control rats when the animals became hypoglycemic as the result of intensive insulin treatment. Even only 3 min after the injection of FDG, and despite persistent hyperglycemia in the streptozotocin-injected and insulin-treated rats, the pancreas/ liver paired ratio in radioactive content failed to be significantly lower in the diabetic animals than in control rats. These findings indicate that 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose is not a suitable tool to detect any preferential labelling of insulin-producing cells, relative to acinar cells, at least when considering only the total radioactive content of the pancreatic gland.

Pancreatic fate of 14C-labelled hexoses.

In order to assess the respective contribution of the exocrine and endocrine moieties of the pancreas to the overall net uptake of selected monosaccharides by the pancreatic gland, the apparent distribution space of L-[1-14C]glucose, 3-O-[14C-methyl]-D-glucose, D-[U-14C]glucose, D-[U-14C]mannose and D-[U-14C]fructose was measured in pieces of pancreas obtained from either control rats or animals injected with streptozotocin. Although the time course for the uptake of 3-O-[14C-methyl]-D-glucose, D-[U-14C]glucose, D-[U-14C]mannose and D-[U-14C]fructose was much slower in the pieces of pancreas than that previously documented in isolated pancreatic islets, no significant difference could, as a rule, be detected between the results obtained in pancreatic pieces of control and streptozotocin rats. A comparable situation prevailed in the pancreas of animals examined 3 min after the intravenous injection of 3-O-[14C-methyl]-D-glucose. D-Glucose inhibited the uptake of 3-O-[14C-methyl]-D-glucose and that of D-[U-14C]fructose. Likewise, 3-O-methyl-D-glucose inhibited the uptake of D-[U-14C]glucose. Cytochalasin B (20 microm) also inhibited the uptake of 3-O-[14C-methyl]-D-glucose and D-[U-14C]glucose, but not that of D-[U-14C]fructose. D-Mannoheptulose hexaacetate, but not the unesterified heptose, inhibited the metabolism of tritiated and 14C-labelled D-glucose, as well as the net uptake of D-[U-14C]glucose and D-[U-14C]mannose and, to a lesser extent, that of D-[U-14C]fructose. These findings indicate that despite marked differences between endocrine and exocrine pancreatic cells in terms of both the time course for the uptake of several hexoses and the inhibition of their phosphorylation by D-mannoheptulose, little or no preferential labelling of the endocrine moiety of the pancreas by the 14C-labelled hexoses is observed, at least when judged from their distribution space in pancreatic pieces or the whole pancreatic gland. Nevertheless, the findings made with D-mannoheptulose and its hexaacetate ester raise the view that this heptose could conceivably be used to achieve a sizeable preferential labelling of the endocrine pancreas under the present experimental conditions.

Effects of high extracellular K(+) concentrations, diazoxide and/or Ca(2+) deprivation upon D-glucose metabolism in pancreatic islets.

A rise in D-glucose concentration may augment insulin release independently of changes in K(+) conductance or Ca(2+) influx in pancreatic islet cells, the insulinotropic action of the hexose remaining dependent on an increased generation of high-energy phosphates. In the present study, therefore, it was investigated to which extent the procedures currently used to assess the modalities of the secretory response to D-glucose independent of its effect on ATP-sensitive K(+) channels and Ca(2+) inflow may themselves affect the catabolism of the hexose in isolated rat pancreatic islets. A rise in the extracellular K(+) concentration from 5 to 30 or 60 mM failed to significantly affect the metabolism of D-glucose. At 90 mM K(+), however, the maximal velocity of the glycolytic flux was decreased and the apparent K(m) for D-glucose lowered, without an obvious alteration of the preferential stimulation of oxidative mitochondrial events in response to a rise in D-glucose concentration. Such a preferential stimulation was abolished, however, either by diazoxide at a low, but not high, K(+) concentration or by Ca(2+) deprivation, in the absence or presence of diazoxide, at a high K(+) concentration. It is speculated that these metabolic changes may be attributable, in part at least, to an altered activity of key cytosolic (e.g. pyruvate kinase) and mitochondrial (e.g. FAD-linked glycerophosphate dehydrogenase) enzymes.

Effects of starvation and diabetes on the metabolism of [2,3-13C]succinic acid dimethyl ester in rat hepatocytes.

The metabolism of [2,3-13C]succinic acid dimethyl ester ([2,3-13C]-SAD) 10 mmol/L was examined in hepatocytes from overnight-fasted normal rats, 3-day starved rats, and overnight-fasted hereditarily diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats. The amount of 13C-labeled succinate, fumarate, malate, lactate, alanine, and aspartate released by the hepatocytes was much higher in fasted normal rats than in starved or diabetic animals. Although the integrated areas of the 13C2 and 13C3 signals assigned to double-labeled malate, lactate, or alanine were not significantly different, the amount of single-labeled malate, lactate, alanine, and aspartate was higher in C3- versus C2-labeled isotopomers. The release of 13C-labeled glucose by the hepatocytes was lower in fasted versus starved or diabetic rats. Virtually all hexose molecules double-labeled in the C1-C2-C3 and/or C6-C5-C4 moieties corresponded to the [1,2-13C] and/or [5,6-13C] isotopomers. However, in the case of the single-labeled species, 13C-labeling of C1 (or C6) exceeded that of C2 (or C5). Both the single- and double-labeled molecules enriched with 13C in the C1-C2-C3 moiety were less abundant than those labeled in the C6-C5-C4 moiety, with such asymmetry being most marked in overnight-fasted normal rats, less pronounced in diabetic animals, and virtually absent in starved rats. These findings document that SAD is efficiently metabolized in hepatocytes, with its use as a gluconeogenic precursor being influenced by the nutritional and hormonal status of the animals. The present experiments also reinforce the view that asymmetrical labeling of glucose by 13C-labeled precursors is modulated by the relative contribution of exogenous and endogenous nutrients to the production of triose phosphates incorporated into the hexose.

Long-term effects of glibenclamide and nateglinide upon pancreatic islet function in normal and diabetic rats.

Both control and hereditarily diabetic (Goto-Kakizaki) rats were administered twice daily for 7 days with an oral solution of carboxymethylcellulose containing, when required, glibenclamide (1.0 microgram g-1 body wt.) or nateglinide (50.0 micrograms g-1 body wt.). The increase in plasma D-glucose concentration and decrease in insulinogenic index caused by the bleeding and handling of the rats prior to sacrifice was more pronounced in the hyperglycaemic and hyperinsulinemic diabetic rats than in the control animals. Eighteen hours after the last oral loading, a sizeable fall in plasma D-glucose concentration and increase in plasma insulin concentration was only observed in the glibenclamide-treated control rats, indicating a more prolonged biological effect of the hypoglycaemic sulphonylurea, as compared to the meglitinide analog. This coincided with the fact that the insulin content of the islets, their secretory response to a high concentration of D-glucose and their basal biosynthetic activity were more severely affected in glibenclamide than nateglinide-treated animals, especially in the control rats. It is proposed, therefore, that the meglitinide analog, considered as a new insulinotropic tool for the treatment of non-insulin-dependent diabetic subjects, may offer the far-from-negligible advantage of minimising the risk of a sustained decrease in both islet insulin content and glycaemia.

Insulinotropic action of alpha-D-glucose pentaacetate: metabolic aspects.

The metabolism and metabolic effects of alpha-D-glucose pentaacetate were investigated in isolated rat pancreatic islets. Several findings were compatible with the view that the insulinotropic action of alpha-D-glucose pentaacetate is causally related to its capacity to act as a fuel in the islet B-cell. First, the ester was efficiently taken up and hydrolyzed with resulting accumulation of D-glucose in the islet cells. Second, the conversion of alpha-D-[5-3H]glucose pentaacetate to 3HOH and that of alpha-D-[U-14C]glucose pentaacetate to 14CO2 exceeded those found at an equimolar concentration (1.7 mM) of D-glucose and were both inhibited by 2-deoxy-D-glucose (16.7 mM). Last, the ester inhibited the catabolism of both exogenous D-glucose or endogenous fatty acids. Yet, an apparent dissociation between the metabolic and secretory responses to the ester was suggested by the failure of alpha-D-glucose pentaacetate to increase O2 uptake by the islets. Moreover, there were striking differences between the catabolism of the ester and that of unesterified D-glucose, such as a much higher intracellular D-glucose content and an insensitiveness to the inhibitory action of D-mannoheptulose in islets exposed to alpha-D-glucose pentaacetate. Likewise, the ratio between hexose oxidation and utilization was lower for alpha-D-glucose pentaacetate than for unesterified D-glucose in islets concomitantly exposed to the hexose and its ester. It is proposed, therefore, that the insulinotropic action of alpha-D-glucose pentaacetate, although probably linked to the intracellular generation of D-glucose from the ester, may not involve the same coupling process between metabolic and functional events as that currently implied in the process of glucose-stimulated insulin release.

Pancreatic islet responsiveness to D-glucose after repeated administration of repaglinide.

The influence of three daily oral doses of repaglinide (1.0 microg/g body wt.) on plasma insulin and glucose concentrations, pancreatic islet insulin content and both protein biosynthesis and insulin release in isolated islets incubated for 90 min in the presence of either 2.8 or 16.7 mM D-glucose was examined in both control and hereditary diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats. In the control rats, repaglinide lowered the plasma glucose concentration, whilst failing to affect significantly the plasma insulin concentration or insulin/glucose ratio, 24 h after the last administration of the antidiabetic agent. Despite a severe decrease of islet insulin content, the ratio between insulin release and content was not altered in islets obtained from repaglinide-treated control rats and incubated in the presence of 16.7 mM D-glucose. Also the biosynthesis of islet peptides was increased at both low and high hexose concentrations. In GK rats, repaglinide administration affected neither plasma glucose nor insulin concentration, restored a normal value for the otherwise abnormally high basal insulin output, increased the 16.7 mM/2.8 mM ratio for insulin release, and again augmented protein biosynthesis at both low and high hexose concentrations. In both control and GK rats, the stress induced by bleeding and decapitation augmented plasma glucose concentration. This effect was more pronounced in GK than in control rats and, in the diabetic animals, coincided with a severe lowering of the plasma insulin/glucose ratio, suggesting a higher adrenergic sensitivity of islet cells in the GK than in control rats. The increased secretory responsiveness to glucose and increased biosynthetic activity found in islets from GK rats after repaglinide administration, are considered favourable attributes of this meglitinide analogue in the perspective of its use as an insulinotropic agent in noninsulin-dependent diabetes.

Comparison between the insulinotropic potential of ten new esters of succinic acid.

Selected esters of succinic acid are currently under investigation as insulinotropic tools for the treatment of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The aim of the present study was to investigate, in isolated rat pancreatic islets, the insulin secretory response to ten novel esters of succinic acid. According to six different methods of comparison, the following hierarchy in insulinotropic potential was established: 4-tert-butyl-succinate < or = glycerol-1,2-dimethylsuccinate-3-hydrogenosuccinate < or = threitol-3-succinoyl-1,2,4-trimethylsuccinate < or = ethanediol-1,2-diethylsuccinate < or = glycerol-1,2-dimethylsuccinate < or = glycerol-3-hydroxy-1,2-dimethylsuccinate < or = arabitol-5-hydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetramethylsuccinate < or = threitol-1,2,4-trimethylsuccinate < or = ethanediol-1,2-dimethylsuccinate < propanediol-1,2-dimethylsuccinate. There was a close correlation (r = 0.823) between the insulinotropic potential and the minimal effective concentration, which ranged between the extreme values of 10 microM and 2.5 mM. In the presence of the esters, the concentration-response relationship for glucose-stimulated insulin release was changed from its typically sigmoidal shape to a hyperbolic pattern, with most agents enhancing insulin output at a low hexose concentration (2.8 mM) but failing to do so at a high glucose level (16.7 mM). Highly potent insulinotropic esters have several advantages over other antidiabetic agents in clinical use.

Stimulation of biosynthetic activity by novel succinate esters in rat pancreatic islets.

Selected esters of succinic acid are currently under investigation as possible insulinotropic agents for the treatment of noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of ten novel esters of succinic acid upon biosynthetic activity in rat pancreatic islets. In the absence of any other exogenous nutrient, glycerol-3-hydroxy-1,2-dimethyl succinate (0.5 mM), D-arabitol-5-hydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetramethylsuccinate (0.5 mM), and 4-tert-butylsuccinate (2.5 mM) exerted little or no effect upon L-[4-3H]phenylalanine incorporation into trichloroacetic acid-precipitable material. A modest but significant increase in biosynthetic activity to approximately 150% of basal value was found in the presence of L-threitol-1,2,4-trimethylsuccinate (2.0 mM) and ethanediol-1,2-diethylsuccinate (2.5 mM). A two- to five-fold increase in protein biosynthesis was observed in islets exposed to propanediol-1,2-dimethylsuccinate, glycerol-1,2-dimethylsuccinate-3-hydrogenosuccinate, L-threitol-3-succinoyl-1,2,4-trimethylsuccinate, glycerol-1,2-dimethylsuccinate or ethanediol-1,2-dimethylsuccinate (2.5 mM each), these esters being mentioned in order of increasing biological efficiency. There was a significant correlation between these results and the insulinotropic action of the same esters. The present findings thus reinforce the view that such esters act as nutrients in islet cells and, therefore, offer the advantage over pharmacological agents currently used for the treatment of type-2 diabetes in stimulating both the biosynthetic and secretory activity of insulin-producing B-cells.

Effects of artificial sweeteners on insulin release and cationic fluxes in rat pancreatic islets.

Beta-L-glucose pentaacetate, but not alpha-D-galactose pentaacetate, was recently reported to taste bitter and to stimulate insulin release. This finding led, in the present study, to the investigation of the effects of both bitter and non-bitter artificial sweeteners on insulin release and cationic fluxes in isolated rat pancreatic islets. Sodium saccharin (1.0-10.0 mM), sodium cyclamate (5.0-10.0 mM), stevioside (1.0 mM) and acesulfame-K (1.0-15.0 mM), all of which display a bitter taste, augmented insulin release from islets incubated in the presence of 7.0 mM D-glucose. In contrast, aspartame (1.0-10.0 mM), which is devoid of bitter taste, failed to affect insulin secretion. A positive secretory response to acesulfame-K was still observed when the extracellular K+ concentration was adjusted to the same value as that in control media. No major changes in 86Rb and 45Ca outflow from pre-labelled perifused islets could be attributed to the saccharin, cyclamic or acesulfame anions. It is proposed that the insulinotropic action of some artificial sweeteners and, possibly, that of selected hexose pentaacetate esters may require G-protein-coupled receptors similar to those operative in the recognition of bitter compounds by taste buds.

Effects of gliquidone on D-glucose metabolism in rat pancreatic islets depend on hexose concentration.

The hypoglycemic sulfonylurea gliquidone, used at a 10 microM concentration, failed to affect the metabolism of D-glucose in rat pancreatic islets incubated in the presence of 5.6 mM, 8.3 mM or 16.7 mM D-glucose. However, at 2.8 mM D-glucose, gliquidone increased D-[U-14C]glucose oxidation while decreasing the utilization of D-[5-3H]glucose and generation of radioactive acidic metabolites and amino acids from D-[U-14C]glucose. These dissociated effects could conceivably be attributable, respectively, to activation of FAD-linked glycerophosphate dehydrogenase as a result of an increase in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration and to a subsequent inhibition of phosphofructokinase as a result of an increase in cytosolic ATP concentration. The effect of gliquidone on the paired ratio between D-[U-14C]glucose oxidation and D-[5-3H]glucose utilization was indeed duplicated by repaglinide and suppressed in the absence of extracellular Ca2+ or at low temperature. The present findings thus provide a further illustration of the often contrasting effects of pharmacological and physiological insulinotropic agents on selected metabolic, cationic and functional variables in pancreatic islet cells.