Time course of content of insulin, glucagon and pancreatic polypeptide in human pancreatic tissue obtained by surgery.

Abstract

In order to know the degree of the destruction of peptide hormones in pancreatic tissue of autopsied material, the time courses of the degradation of pancreatic insulin, glucagon and hPP were studied using surgically operated pancreatic pieces kept at room or low temperature. Amounts of insulin, glucagon and hPP in pancreatic tissue were determined by radioimmunoassay. Insulin in the pancreas just after resection was 2.58 +/- 0.33 U/g (mean +/- SE). At 3 hrs it decreased to 66.4 +/- 3.8%, at 6 hrs, to 68.5 +/- 5.1% and at 12 hrs to 51.7 +/- 11.4% of the initial value in the tissues kept at room temperature (20-22 degrees C) When the tissues were kept at 4 degrees C, 90.7 +/- 3.9% of insulin at 3 hrs, 88.5 +/- 7.0% at 6 hrs, and 80.3 +/- 2.6% at 12 hrs were preserved. 81.3 +/- 13.9% of the initial hPP was present in the tissues after 6 hrs at room temperature, and it decreased to 20.7 +/- 5.7% after 12 hrs, whereas no significant decrease in hPP was found even after 12 hrs at low temperature. Glucagon content at starting point was 16.85 +/- 4.05 micrograms/g and at 3 hrs in the room temperature it fell to 7.46 +/- 3.53 micrograms/g (41.5 +/- 9.8%) and at 6 and 12 hrs only 14.4 +/- 4.1% and 5.8 +/- 4.2% were left, respectively. At low temperature, at 3 hrs 79.3 +/- 8.9%, at 6 hrs 62.2 +/- 14.7% and at 12 hrs 53.5 +/- 16.6% was preserved. These findings indicate that special consideration should be taken from the viewpoint of the destruction of hormones in pancreatic tissues obtained at autopsy.