Hypoglycemia Due to Intrapancreatic Infusion of Leucine

Abstract

Introduction of L-leucine (0.2 gm.) in saline into the pancreatic artery in anesthetized dogs pretreated with chlorpropamide caused a marked peripheral venous hypoglycemia. Intraportal administration of leucine to sensitized dogs failed to produce the effect, as did injection of leucine or tolbutamide separately into the pancreas in the absence of pretreatment. Fall in blood glucose caused by infusion of leucine and tolbutamide concurrently into the pancreatic artery was not significantly different from that due to infusion into the portal vein.The hypoglycemia is most likely due to insulin secretion from pancreatic islets sensitized by action of chlorpropamide to the stimulating effect of leucine. Intraportal infusion of tolbutamide and leucine produced a greater fall in venous blood glucose than a doubled amount of tolbutamide alone. This might support the idea of a second action of leucine that might enhance the effect of endogenous insulin on the liver. DIABETES 75:560-64, August, 1966.

Leucine-Induced Hyperglycemia in the Goat

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Since Cochrane [0] verified, in 1956, the hypoglycemic reaction of certain children to the ingestion of proteins and demonstrated the hypoglycemic action of L-leucine implicated in such cases, a great deal of literature lias been ac cumulated in the way of clarifying the mechanism of such action and recently [13] its therapeutic use was suggested for diabetics in which the sulfonylureas became ineffective.The action of L-leucine is demonstrated in the higher release of insulin by the sensitive pancreas or pancreas made sensitive to this action [9,17] and hepatic [4,11] and peripheral [3,5] effects are also attributed to it, but its mechanism of action is not, however, completely clarified [7].Ruminants are experimental animals of a singular interest in the study of the metabolic interrelations owing to their habitual energetic substrate. This fact leads us, in the sequence of researches [16] in which we confirmed in goats the findings of Ash ct al.

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