Comparative Studies of Alloxan Diabetic Dog and Pancreatectomized Diabetic Dog on the Regulation of the Carbohydrate Metabolism With Special Reference to the Action of Acth and Adrenocortical Hormones on the Insulin Requirement

Abstract

Subjects of diabetogenic or contrainsulin action of ACTH, and cortisone in the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism were reported by numbers of workers (Long, Katzin and Fry, 1940;Grattan, Jensen and Ingle, 1941;Bodo, Kurtz, Sinkoff and King, 1952), while, the effect of DOC was also reported but with different results. Ingle and Thorn (1941) and Laszt (1947) assumed its action as contrainsulin effect, while, Kohler and Muller (1952) thought the action might be an insulin effect. On the effect on carbohydrate metabolism after the parenteral administration of ACTH and adrenocortical hormones, there were sufficient number of reports already made by the staffs of our laboratory.It was found by Kajiyama (1955) that either ACTH or DOC possessed an insulin factor. Clinically, for the most diabetic patients, cortisone acted similarly as insulin (Nakano and his associates, 1955). ACTH seemed to control convulsive seizure due to insulin and tend to enhance glucose tolerance curve in adrenalectomized rabbits (Fujita, 1954). According to Wakabayashi's experiments (unpublished data), either ACTH or cortisone seemed to increase the deposit of liver glycogen, however, DOC has tendency to decrease its glycogen deposit. Although the action of ACTH and adrenocortical hormones on the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism, particularly on insulin or contrainsulin action was extensively studied, but from what was reported, this problem seems rather complicated and still needs further research work. As to the experimental diabetes mellitus, several investigators such as Thorogood and Zimmerman (1945) reported the comparative studies between the alloxan diabetic dog and the pancreatectomized dog and found the difference of insulin requirement between the two types of diabetes in dogs.The present investigation was undertaken for the purpose of determining the insulin requirement of these diabetic dogs by the method by Allan(1924)and MacBryde(1933), and also of finding the difference of the effect between ACTH Received for publication March 10, 1956.