Insulin and glucagon in rats with islet cell tumors induced by small doses of streptozotocin

The role of insulin in triglyceride turnover in rats

Exogenously induced hyperinsulinemia can increase in vivo triglyceride production in rats receiving dietary fructose, either as monosaccharide or as sucrose, but not in those receiving only glucose. Thus, in the presence of fructose, but not glucose, insulin stimulates triglyceride production. Dietary fructose can also impair the removal of circulating triglyceride. Exogenous insulin overcomes this fructose-associated impairment of triglyceride removal. On the other hand, streptozotocin-diabetic rats showed a suppressed triglyceride secretion rate (TgSR) but their plasma triglyceride level was unchanged. Therefore, insulin deficiency may result in not only decreased production of triglyceride but also impaired triglyceride removal from the circulation. Fructose-fed diabetic rats showed higher plasma triglyceride levels than chow-fed diabetic rats without a concomitant increase in TgSR, suggesting impaired triglyceride removal from the circulation induced by fructose in diabetic rats. Glucose-fed diabetic rats did not differ in TgSR or plasma triglyceride level from chow-fed diabetic rats. These observations indicate that circulating insulin and dietary fructose, but not glucose, have a key role in very-low-density lipoprotein triglyceride turnover in rats.

Glucagon-stimulable adenylyl cyclase in rat liver. The impact of streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus

Glucagon receptor levels, glucagon-stimulated and other forms of adenylyl cyclase activity, and regulatory component activity of adenylyl cyclase were determined in hepatic plasma membranes of rats administered streptozotocin without and with insulin to produce varying degrees of hyperglycemia. Receptor levels were assayed by direct binding of the specific probe [125I-Tyr10]-iodoglucagon; regulatory component activity was assayed by the capacity to reconstitute stimulatory regulation in deficient membranes from cyc- S49 murine lymphoma cells. In rats given 150 mg streptozotocin, glucagon stimulation of adenylyl cyclase as well as basal, sodium fluoride, 5' guanylylimidodiphosphate [GMP-P(NH)P] and Mn-dependent activities were reduced 50%, glucagon receptor levels but not affinity were reduced 67%, and regulatory component activity was decreased 50%. In addition, alpha 1-adrenergic receptors and 5'-nucleotidase were similarly reduced in diabetes. However, specific ouabain-inhibitable Na+, K+, ATPase activity was not altered by streptozotocin treatment. The streptozotocin-induced changes were noted within 24 h and became maximal by 120 h after its administration. All of these decreases were partially reversed by in vivo insulin treatment. DNA, cytochrome c oxidase, glucose-6-phosphatase, and N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase content in hepatic plasma membrane preparations were not substantially different in diabetic as compared with control animals. The data demonstrate that glucagon-mediated regulation of cyclic AMP formation is deranged in insulin deficiency owing to a combined decrease in receptors, derangement of the coupling mechanism intervening between receptor and adenylyl cyclase, and possibly, an altered basal effector system. Some of these changes appear to reflect a "desensitization-like" phenomenon which may or may not be attributable to the hyperglucagonemia of diabetes mellitus. There also appears to be a concurrent generalized decrease in several but not all plasma membrane receptor and enzymatic proteins. This may be the result of a number of processes among which is the accelerated proteolysis of uncontrolled diabetes.