The Plasma Glucagon and Insulin Responses to Arginine Infusion in Diabetic Subjects

• Published in: RADIOISOTOPES Vol. 25; no. 11; pp. 723 - 727
• Main Authors: NAKASHIMA, Yukimasa, OYAMA, Hideki, TENKU, Atuko, MATUMURA, Shigeichi, NISHIDA, Seiko, HORINO, Masaharu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese; English
• Published: Japan Radioisotope Association 1976
• ISSN: 0033-8303; 1884-4111
• DOI: 10.3769/radioisotopes.25.11_723

Immunoreactive plasma glucagon (IRG) and insulin (IRI) in 10 healthy volunteers (within 15 percent of ideal body weight), 27 diabetic subjects and 3 patients with pancreatic diseases were determined by specific radioimmunoassay techniques (antiserum 30K was utilized for plasma glucagon measurements) before and during arginine infusion. Diabetic subjects were divided into 3 groups, 17 mild diabetic group (fasting blood sugar less than 139 mg%), 4 moderate diabetic group (fasting blood sugar 140 to 199 mg%) and 6 severe diabetic group (fasting blood sugar more than 200 mg%) . L-arginine (0.5 g/kg) was infused intravenously during 30 min. Fasting IRG levels of healthy controls, mild, moderate and severe diabetic groups were averaged 84±17, 97±16, 105±72, 108±49pg/ml respectively (M±SEM) . These fasting IRG levels of 3 diabetic groups did not differ significantly from that of the controls. Although the infusion of arginine induced six- to eight-folds elevation in plasma IRG of all groups including controls, plasma IRG increments following arginine infusion in mild diabetics were significantly greater than that of controls, p<0.05. The plasma IRI responses to arginine infusion in mild and severe diabetic groups were significantly lower than that of controls, p<0.05. Negative correlation was observed between net increments of IRG and IRI during 30 min of arginine infusion in healthy controls. Molar ratio of IRI by IRG in healthy control group were decreased from 4.2 of fasting level to 2.8 to 3.4 of arginine infused levels, and increased slowly toward fasting level after termination of the infusion. The arginine infusion evoked almost no responses of IRG in a case of pancreatic cancer and a liver cirrhosis accompanied with diabetes mellitus. It appears, therefore, that diabetes mellitus is associated with both a relative fasting hyperglucagonemia and an absolute hyperglucagonemia in response to arginine. Also ai inadequate control of pancreatic A cell function might be responsible for the development o f diabetes mellitus as well as insulin deficiency.