The optimal site for pancreatic islet cell transplantation is presently unclear, although the liver has been the most commonly used. However, glucagon secretion from islets that have been autotransplanted in liver has been reported to be unresponsive to hypoglycemia yet responsive to arginine. To determine whether this selective glucagon secretory defect is related to the intrahepatic site of islet implantation or to the process of transplantation per se, we studied counterregulatory responses to hypoglycemia in dogs with pancreatic islet autotransplantation in the hepatic parenchyma (the intrahepatic [IH] group, n = 9) or the peritoneal cavity (the intraperitoneal [IP] group, n = 9), following total pancreatectomy, and compared them with the responses in normal controls (n = 10). Dogs were subjected to a hypoglycemic hyperinsulinemic (5 mU x kg-1 x min-1) clamp for 90 min under general anesthesia. Arterial glucose concentrations were clamped at 2.7 mmol/l for the final 45 min of the clamp. Immediately following the clamp, glucagon responses to IV arginine (5 g) were also assessed. During hypoglycemia, glucagon responses in the IH group (maximal incremental glucagon = 33 +/- 21 ng/l; glucagon area under curve [AUC] = 713 +/- 1,022 ng x l-1 x min-1) were significantly lower than either the IP (maximal incremental glucagon = 92 +/- 32 ng/l; glucagon AUC = 4,090 +/- 1,600 ng x l-1 x min-1) or control (maximal incremental glucagon = 154 +/- 71 ng/l; glucagon AUC = 6,943 +/- 2,842 ng x l-1 x min-1) group (IH vs. IP group, P < 0.05; control vs. IH group, P < 0.01). Glucagon responses in the IP group did not differ significantly from the control group. Epinephrine responses to hypoglycemia were similar in all groups, whereas neither of the transplanted groups (IH and IP) had pancreatic polypeptide responses. There was a prompt rise in plasma glucagon after intravenous arginine in all groups. These data indicate that glucagon unresponsiveness to hypoglycemia is specific to intrahepatically transplanted islets, rendering the liver a disadvantageous site for optimal alpha-cell function.

Impaired epinephrine secretion and symptom unawareness are characteristic of severe hypoglycemia in individuals with long-standing type I diabetes. Recently, the avoidance of clinical hypoglycemia has been reported to improve epinephrine and symptom responses to hypoglycemia in type I patients. However, the extent to which these defects can be restored in individuals with long-standing type I diabetes and autonomic neuropathy has not been assessed, nor has it been determined whether pancreas transplantation, which not only obviates hypoglycemia but also prevents hyperglycemia, results in the complete recovery of either epinephrine response or symptom awareness during insulin-induced hypoglycemia. We performed stepped hypoglycemic clamp studies in successful pancreas transplantation recipients to assess epinephrine and other counterregulatory hormone responses during hypoglycemia and to determine the degree to which hypoglycemic symptom recognition could be restored. Thirteen pancreas transplant recipients and matched control subjects were studied utilizing stepped hypoglycemic clamp protocol to achieve target glucose levels of 3.9, 3.3, 2.8, and 2.2 mmol/l (70, 60, 50, and 40 mg/dl, respectively). Plasma epinephrine response was significantly greater in healthy control subjects and pancreas transplant patients compared with type I subjects at the glucose plateaus of 3.9, 3.3, and 2.8 mmol/l. However, epinephrine response in pancreas transplant recipients was significantly less than that seen in either healthy control subjects or nondiabetic kidney transplant recipients at each of these glucose plateaus. The magnitude of the epinephrine response in pancreas transplant type I patients did not correlate with either the duration of diabetes, the duration of transplantation, or the measures of autonomic nerve function. Hypoglycemic symptom recognition was significantly greater in pancreas transplant subjects than type I patients and did not differ between pancreas transplant and control groups. No improvement in norepinephrine response was observed after pancreas transplantation, while glucagon responses to hypoglycemia were normalized in pancreas transplant patients. In conclusion, these studies uniquely demonstrate that successful pancreas transplantation improves epinephrine response and normalizes hypoglycemia symptom recognition in patients with long-standing diabetes and established autonomic neuropathy. No correlation was observed between the severity of autonomic neuropathy or the duration of diabetes and the recovery of either the epinephrine or symptom responses to hypoglycemia.

Increased glucose/glucose-6-phosphate (G/G6P) substrate cycle activity may be an early marker of disordered hepatic glucose metabolism. To investigate the effects of glucocorticoids on G/G6P cycle activity and insulin resistance, we studied eight normal subjects using the euglycemic glucose clamp technique with high pressure liquid chromatography-purified [2(3)H]- and [6-3H]glucose tracers at insulin infusion rates of 0.4 and 2.0 mU/kg.min after 24-h cortisol (2 micrograms/kg.min) and saline infusions. Endogenous glucose production ([6-3H]glucose) was greater after cortisol than saline in the postabsorptive state (13.3 +/- 0.5 vs. 12.2 +/- 0.5 mumol/kg.min; P < 0.05) and during 0.4-mU insulin infusion (10.5 +/- 0.7 vs. 5.0 +/- 0.8 mumol/kg.min; P < 0.005). During 2.0-mU insulin infusion, endogenous glucose production was suppressed similarly (5.1 +/- 0.4 vs. 4.1 +/- 0.5 mumol/kg.min), but glucose disappearance was less after cortisol than saline (38.7 +/- 3.5 vs. 64.6 +/- 4.3 mumol/kg.min; P < 0.001). G/G6P cycle activity after cortisol and saline was similar in the postabsorptive state and during 0.4 mU insulin. During 2.0 mU insulin, cycle activity was greater after cortisol than saline (3.6 +/- 0.9 vs. 0.8 +/- 0.5 mumol/kg.min; P < 0.005). In conclusion, cortisol induces hepatic insulin resistance without significantly changing G/G6P cycle activity. At high glucose turnover rates, G/G6P cycle activity is increased by cortisol; however, reduced glucose disappearance is the main cause of impaired insulin action.

However, although thiazolidinediones lower insulin resistance and increase subcutaneous peripheral fat in Type 2 diabetes, pioglitazone treatment had little effect on either serum adiponectin, glycaemic control or the lipoatrophy. In this case, effective glycaemic control was best achieved using a combination of metformin and highly concentrated soluble insulin injections.