Inhibition Of Glucose-stimulated Insulin Release Research Articles

Effects of adenosine, 2-deoxyadenosine and N6-phenylisopropyladenosine on rat islet function and metabolism.

Adenosine (1.0-100 mum). N(6)-phenylisopropyladenosine (0.1-10 mum) and 2-deoxyadenosine (10 mm) all produced a dose-dependent inhibition of glucose-stimulated insulin release. The inhibition of glucose-stimulated insulin release by adenosine and N(6)-phenylisopropyladenosine was abolished by 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (0.1 mm), whereas 2-deoxyadenosine inhibited insulin release even in the presence of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine. These adenosine nucleosides also inhibited the release of insulin induced by 4-methyl-2-oxopentanoate (20 mm), dl-glyceraldehyde (30 mm) and l-leucine (20 mm). Adenosine (10 mum). N(6)-phenylisopropyladenosine (10 mum) and 2-deoxyadenosine (10 mm) did not inhibit insulin biosynthesis or [U-(14)C]glucose oxidation at concentrations of the nucleosides that gave maximal inhibition of insulin release. However, adenosine, 2-deoxyadenosine and N(6)-phenylisopropyladenosine produced marked inhibition of the glucose-stimulated increases seen in islet cyclic AMP accumulation. Similar to its effects on insulin release, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (0.1 mm) antagonized the inhibitory effects of cyclic AMP accumulation produced by adenosine and N(6)-phenylisopropyladenosine, but had no effect on the inhibition of cyclic AMP accumulation seen with 2-deoxyadenosine. These results show that adenosine and its specifically modified analogues, 2-deoxyadenosine and N(6)-phenylisopropyladenosine, are strong inhibitors of insulin release from rat islets, a function that appears to be the consequence of their ability to inhibit the accumulation of cyclic AMP. It is proposed that the B cells, in common with many other tissues, may possess two different sites at which adenosine nucleosides interact to produce their biological effects; these are the so-called ;P' and ;R' sites first described by Londos & Wolff [(1977) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.74, 5482-5486].

Sites of action of trifluoperazine in the inhibition of glucose-stimulated insulin release.

Trifluoperazine, an inhibitor of calcium-calmodulin functions, was used in an attempt to understand the involvement of calcium-calmodulin in glucose-stimulated insulin release. Isolated rat pancreatic islets were used after a two-day period of maintenance in tissue culture. 45Ca2+ uptake and insulin release were measured during 5-min incubations. Dynamic insulin release and 45Ca2+ efflux were assessed during perifusion of the islets preloaded with 45Ca2+ during the culture period. Both phases of insulin release in response to 16.7 mM glucose were inhibited by approximately 60% in the presence of 10 μM trifluoperazine when the latter was added 35 min prior to high glucose. Stimulation of 45Ca2+ efflux by glucose was abolished. Glucose-stimulated 45Ca2+ uptake was inhibited by 43%. These results were compared with those of experiments in which depolarizing concentrations of potassium (24 mM) were used. Trifluoperazine inhibited K+-stimulated insulin release and 45Ca2+ uptake to a similar extent as that seen with glucose. Trifluoperazine did not appear to interfere with the inhibitory effect of glucose on 45Ca2+ efflux seen in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. Moreover, in Ca2+ deprived medium (with no possibility for Ca2+ uptake) insulin release in response to glucose + ouabain or in response to veratridine was also inhibited by trifluoperazine. It can be speculated that calmodulin is involved in the process by which glucose and potassium stimulate Ca2+ uptake, i.e., by activation of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels in the plasma membrane. In addition, it appears that calmodulin is involved in the process by which glucose and veratridine act on stored calcium to raise the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration. Finally, trifluoperazine did not inhibit insulin release mediated by cyclic AMP (3-isobutyl-1-methyl-xanthine). Two conclusions may be drawn from this finding: (1) calmodulin may not be involved in the process of exocytosis per se and (2) cyclic AMP and glucose seem to mobilize stored calcium by different mechanisms.

Ionic mechanism of diphenylhydantoin action on glucose-induced insulin release

Diphenylhydantoin inhibits glucose-stimulated insulin release. The mode of action of diphenylhydantoin was investigated by characterizing its effect on 86Rb and 45Ca fluxes in isolated pancreativ islets. The inhibition of glucose-stimulated insulin release by diphenylhydantoin was apparently not attributable to activation of a Na + + K +ATPase as diphenylhydantoin failed to affect 86Rb net uptake, at least in glucose-stimulated islets. Diphenylhydantoin decreased 45Ca net uptake by the islets, an effect possibly due to inhibition of Ca + entry into the islet cells. Diphenylhydantoin indeed markedly inhibited the glucose-induced increase in 45Ca outflow and decreased the process of 40Ca 45Ca exchange evoked by a rise in extracellular Ca 2+ concentration. Diphenylhydantoin failed to affect the inhibitory action of glucose upon 45Ca outflow whether in the presence or absence of extracellular Ca 2+, and did not impair the antimycin A-induced release of 45Ca from intracellular organelles. These findings suggest that the inhibitory effect of diphenylhydantoin upon glucose-stimulated insulin release is attributable mainly to a blockade of Ca 2+ inflow into the β-cell.

Effects of an enkephalin analogue (DAMME) on insulin release from cultured rat islets of langerhans

Rat islets of Langerhans were maintained for 2 days in tissue culture. Following the culture period, the insulin secretory responses of the islets on incubation in bicarbonate medium were measured. The enkephalin analogue D-ala2, MePhe4, Met(0)-ol (DAMME), 8.3 X 10(-8) mol/l, augmented insulin release stimulated by glucose (5 or 7 mmol/l) by 76% and 47% respectively; increased insulin release stimulated by alpha-ketoisocaproate (7.5 mmol/l) by 23%; and enhanced insulin release in the presence of glibenclamide (10 microgram/ml) plus glucose (3.3 mmol/l) by 38%. Insulin release in the presence of glucose at 2 or 12 mmol/l was not affected by DAMME (8.3 X 10(-8) mol/l). The potentiatory effect of DAMME on insulin release in the presence of glucose (5 mmol/l) was blocked by naloxone (11 mumol/l): naloxone alone did not affect glucose-stimulated insulin release. A high concentration (3.3 X 10(-6) mol/l) of DAMME did not modify glucose-stimulated insulin release. Inhibition of glucose-stimulated insulin release by trifluoperazine, an inhibitor of calmodulin, was not overcome by DAMME. Insulin secretory responses were not enhanced by exposure of the islets to DAMME (8.3 X 10(-8) mol/l) during the culture period. It is concluded that insulin release from isolated islets is capable of being influenced by an opioid peptide.

Evidence for the participation of calmodulin in stimulus-secretion coupling in the pancreatic beta-cell.

1. The ability of a range of phenothiazines to inhibit activation of brain phosphodiesterase by purified calmodulin was studied. Trifluoperazine, prochlorperazine and 8-hydroxyprochlorperazine produced equipotent dose-dependent inhibition with half-maximum inhibition at 12mum. When tested at 10 or 50mum, 7-hydroxyprochlorperazine was a similarly potent inhibitor. However, trifluoperazine-5-oxide and N-methyl-2-(trifluoromethyl)phenothiazine were ineffective at concentrations up to 50mum, and produced only a modest inhibition at 100mum. 2. The same phenothiazines were tested for their ability to inhibit activation of brain phosphodiesterase by boiled extracts of rat islets of Langerhans. At a concentration of 20mum, 70-80% inhibition was observed with trifluoperazine, prochlorperazine, 7-hydroxyprochlorperazine or 8-hydroxyprochlorperazine, whereas trifluoperazine-5-oxide and N-methyl-2-(trifluoromethyl)phenothiazine were less effective. 3. The effect of these phenothiazines on insulin release from pancreatic islets was studied in batch-type incubations. Insulin release stimulated by glucose (20mm) was markedly inhibited by 10mum-trifluoperazine or -prochlorperazine and further inhibited at a concentration of 20mum. 8-Hydroxyprochlorperazine (20mum) was also a potent inhibitor but 7-hydroxyprochlorperazine (20mum) elicited only a modest inhibition of glucose-stimulated insulin release; no inhibition was observed with trifluoperazine-5-oxide or N-methyl-2-(trifluoromethyl)phenothiazine. 4. Trifluoperazine (20mum) markedly inhibited insulin release stimulated by leucine or 4-methyl-2-oxopentanoate in the absence of glucose, and both trifluoperazine and prochlorperazine (20mum) decreased insulin release stimulated by glibenclamide in the presence of 3.3mm-glucose. 5. None of the phenothiazines affected basal insulin release in the presence of 2mm-glucose. 6. Trifluoperazine (20mum) did not inhibit islet glucose utilization nor the incorporation of [(3)H]leucine into (pro)insulin or total islet protein. 7. Islet extracts catalysed the incorporation of (32)P from [gamma-(32)P]ATP into endogenous protein substrates. Sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis resolved several phosphorylated bands, but incorporation was slight. However, calmodulin in the presence of Ca(2+) greatly enhanced incorporation: the predominant phosphorylated band had an estimated mol.wt. of 55000. This enhanced incorporation was abolished by trifluoperazine, but not by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitor protein. 8. These results suggest that islet phosphodiesterase-stimulating activity is similar to, although not necessarily identical with, calmodulin from skeletal muscle; that islet calmodulin may play an important role in Ca(2+)-dependent stimulus-secretion coupling in the beta-cell; and that calmodulin may exert part at least of its effect on secretion via phosphorylation of endogenous islet proteins.

Dimethylurea: A radical scavenger that protects isolated pancreatic islets from the effects of alloxan and dihydroxyfumarate exposure

The hydroxyl radical scavenger dimethylurea was tested in vitro for possible effectiveness in protecting insulin secreting cells from the deleterious effects of alloxan and dihydroxyfumarate. A five min exposure of isolated rat pancreatic islets to alloxan (0.15 and 0.20 mg/ml) caused a concentration dependent decrease in subsequent glucose-stimulated insulin release. The presence of 40 mM dimethylurea during alloxan exposure attenuated or eliminated the inhibition of insulin release caused by alloxan. Exposure of islets to autooxidizing dihydroxyfumarate, a known generator of hydroxyl free radicals, also caused an inhibition of glucose-stimulated insulin release. This effect was also eliminated when dimethylurea was present during the exposure period. These results support the concept that alloxan produces its insulin inhibitory effects in vitro via the generation of hydroxyl free radicals.

Mode of action of clonidine upon islet function: dissociated effects upon the time course and magnitude of insulin release.

Clonidine (0.08 to 80.0 ng/ml) caused a dose-related inhibition of glucose-stimulated insulin release, but failed to affect glucose oxidation, glucose-stimulated 45Ca net uptake, and adenylate cyclase activity in isolated rat islets. Phentolamine antagonized the effect of clonidine upon insulin release. Despite profound inhibition of insulin secretion, the drug failed to affect the time course for the changes evoked by glucose in either 45Ca fractional outflow rate from perfused islets or insulin release from the isolated perfused pancreas. The latter changes were multiphasic, revealing an initial secretory peak, a period of low secretory activity, and a second secretory elevation before establishing a period characterized by a steadily and slowly increasing insulin output. In the clonidine-treated islets, the secretory rate was not significantly different from the basal value during the period after the initial secretory response. Thus, despite continuous stimulation with glucose, insulin release appears as a discontinuous phenomenon, even when little insulin is secreted during the initial phase of stimulation.

Alpha 2-adrenoceptors modulating insulin release from isolated pancreatic islets.

Using rat isolated pancreatic islets, we investigated the effects of various alpha-adrenoceptor blocking agents on adrenaline-induced inhibition of glucose-stimulated insulin release. Yohimbine was about 100 times more potent than prazosin in antagonizing the inhibitory effect of adrenaline. At concentrations of 10 micro M, phentolamine was about as effective as an antagonist as yohimbine, whereas dihydroergotamine, WB-4101 and phenoxybenzamine were less effective and prazosin produced very little antagonism. These results strongly suggest that post-synaptic alpha 2-adrenoceptors modulate insulin release from pancreatic islets.

The stimulus-secretion coupling of glucose-induced insulin release. Metabolic and functional effects of NH4+ in rat islets.

NH4+ caused a dose-related, rapid, and reversible inhibition of glucose-stimulated insulin release by isolated rat islets. It also inhibited glyceraldehyde-, Ba2+-, and sulfonylurea-stimulated insulun secretion. NH4+ failed to affect glucose utilization and oxidation, glucose-stimulated proinsulin biosynthesis, the concentration of ATP, AD, and AMP, and the intracellular pH. NH4+ also failed to affect the ability of theophylline and cytochalasin B to augment glucose-induced insulin release. However, in the presence and absence of glucose, accumulation of NH4+ in islet cells was associated with a fall in the concentration of NADH and HADPH and a concomitant alteration of 86Rb+ and 45Ca2+ (or 133Ba2+) handling. These findings suggest that reduced pyridine nucleotides, generated by the metabolism of endogenous of exogenous nutrients, may modulate ionophoretic processes in the islet cells and by doing so, affect the net uptake of Ca2+ and subsequent release of insulin.

EFFECTS OF VALINOMYCIN ON Rb+ FLUXES, ATP CONTENT AND INSULIN RELEASE IN PANCREATIC ISLETS

Valinomycin, 0.5-500 nM, was tested for its effects on pancreatic islets microdissected fron non-inbred ob/ob-mice. Valinomycin decreased the islet accumulation Rb+ and the content of ATP in a dose-dependent manner; efflux of Rb+ from pre-loaded islets was not noticeably changed. Rb+ accumulation and ATP content correlated markedly; on the model of linear regression, less than 10% of the change Rb+ accumulation in valinomycin-treated islets was statistically attributable to factors other than ATP. Valinomycin did not cause a prompt inhibition of glucose-stimulated insulin release that could reflect hyperpolarization due to increased K+ permeability. The following conclusions are drawn: 1) The plasma membranes of beta-cells resemble those of neurons in having such a high ion permeability as to be relatively little influenced by valinomycin; 2) Islet accumulation of Rb+ is due to a vectorial catalyst in theplasma membrane rather than to uptake by mitochondria; 3) Rb+ accumulation in islets is ATP-dependent.

6-Phosphogluconate/glucose-6-phosphate ratio in rat pancreatic islets during inhibition of insulin release by exogenous insulin.

Inhibition of glucose-stimulated insulin release by exogenous insulin has been demonstrated in pancreatic islets to be associated with a decrease of the NADPH/NADP ratio and the pentose-phosphate cycle activity. Batches of five islets were incubated for 15 and 90 minutes in 1 ml. of KRB buffer with 2 per cent albumin containing 3 mg./ml. glucose and 0, 200, 400, or 800 microU./ml. of rat insulin, and the glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) and 6-phosphogluconate (6PG) contents were determined by enzymatic cycling. In response to a rise in the concentration of insulin, the 6PG/G6P ratio decreased. A close relationship was observed between this decrease of 6PG/G6P ratio and the net insulin release, the absolute rate of glucose oxidation via the pentose phosphate cycle, and the NADPH/NADP ratios measured under similar conditions. The results suggest that exogenous insulin, directly or indirectly, regulates the pentose cycle activity in the pancreatic islets at the G6P dehydrogenase step.

Somatostatin inhibits insulin and glucagon release by monolayer cell cultures of rat endocrine pancreas

Dihydrosomatostatin (0.001–1.0 ug/ml) inhibited both insulin and glucagon secretion by monolayer cell cultures of newborn rat pancreas. When cultures were incubated with somatostatin and then rinsed, the effect of somatostatin appeared to last longer on the pancreatic alpha cell than on the beta cell as indicated by a more prolonged inhibition of glucagon secretion than of insulin release. Submaximal inhibition of glucose-stimulated insulin release by somatostatin was partially reversed by increasing the concentration of glucose. We conclude that the effect of somatostatin appears to be mediated directly on the pancreatic endocrine cells.