Studies on the mechanism of xylitol-induced insulin secretion in dogs. Effect of its infusion into the pancreatic artery, and the inhibition by epinephrine and diazoxide of xylitol-induced hyperinsulinaemia.

Abstract

The effect of infusion of small doses of xylitol into the pancreatic artery upon insulin release was studied in anaesthetized dogs, in order to decide whether the strong insulin-releasing effect of xylitol in dogs is mediated by a direct action of xylitol upon the islets or indirectly by some of its metabolites. Xylitol or glucose was infused at 0.5–1.0 mg/kg · min either into the femoral vein or into the superior pancreaticoduodenal artery, and the changes in plasma insulin were measured in the superior pancreaticoduodenal vein. Infusion into the pancreatic artery always resulted in a sharp increase in insulin release, whereas intravenous infusion caused no or little increase. Infusion of xylitol into the superior pancreaticoduodenal artery produced a prompt increase in plasma insulin in the superior pancreaticoduodenal vein but not in the splenic vein. These data suggest that xylitol has a direct stimulatory effect upon islet cells. — During intravenous infusion of epinephrine (1.0 μg/kg. min), plasma insulin did not increase despite intravenous administration of glucose or xylitol (0.4 g/kg). There was a rebound rise of plasma insulin after cessation of epinephrine infusion. Plasma insulin responses to intravenous injection of glucose or xylitol (0.4 g/kg) were inhibited also by the intravenous infusion of diazoxide (0.2 mg/kg · min), but this was somewhat variable among individual dogs. The suppression by epinephrine or diazoxide of both glucose and xylitol-induced hyperinsulinaemia may suggest that there is some common mechanism between the insulin-releasing effects of glucose and xylitol.