Abstract
This chapter describes the starvation model for the impaired stimulus recognition and stimulus-secretion-coupling in pancreatic β-cells. Starvation results in a decreased basal plasma insulin concentration in several species and in an impairment of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in man and rat. This decreased response of the insulin secretory mechanism to glucose has also been demonstrated in vitro by using rat pancreas pieces, isolated rat pancreatic islets, and isolated mouse pancreatic islets. In the fed state the dose-response curve is sigmoid with a threshold around 5 mM glucose. It was shown that the insulin secretory response of islets from starved mice was diminished at all glucose concentrations tested from 2.5 mM up to approx 40 mM. The decreased response could also be restored by 5 mM caffeine. The sensitivity of the glucose-sensor system is decreased. It has been observed that the impairment of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in the rat during starvation could be restored by refeeding a high-carbohydrate diet or by intermittent injection of small amounts of glucose given intraperitoneally, and actinomycin D given before refeeding had blocked the return to a normal glucose-stimulated insulin release.
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