Insulin and Glucose Levels in Acute and Chronically Uraemic Rats

Abstract

Departments of Physiology and Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, P.O. Box 102, Khartoum, Sudan (Received 31 October 1977) The important role of the kidney in the degradation and excretion of insulin has recently been reviewed (Rubenstein & Spitz, 1968; Rubenstein, Mako & Horwitz, 1975). The kidney functions with a wide margin of safety but the minimum functional renal mass required for the effective elimination of insulin is not known. The present report deals with the effects of total and five-sixths nephrectomy on the concentrations of insulin and glucose in the blood. The effects of uraemia itself, produced by bilateral ureteric ligation, have also been studied. Albino rats of the Wistar strain (mean weight 232 ± 5 (s.e.m.) g) were used. Except for ten female rats included in the acutely uraemic group, the remainder of the animals were male. The subsequent operations were performed under open diethyl ether anaesthesia

Role of the kidneys in elimination of glucagon, insulin, secretin and somatostatin in the rat

“…Non-elevation of the insulin level 48 h after ureteral ligation shows that the renal tubule cells can take up insulin from the peritubular capillaries. This confirms recent results (Saeed et al 1978. Halban et al 1979, Maude et al 1981).…”

“…1976, Bonomini et al 1979 as do rats subjected to bilateral nephrectomy or ureteral ligation (Emmanouel et al 1976). Apart from the liver the kidneys are the most important site of insulin degradation in several species including the rat (Rubenstein & Spitz 1968, Rubenstein et al 1975, Saeed et al 1978, Halban et al 1979 Maude et al 1981). The kidney is a major site for catabolism of secretin in the dog (Curtis et al 1976) and the pig (Fahrenkrug et al 1978).…”

Pancreatic islet β-cell deficit and glucose intolerance in rats with uninephrectomy

“…Chronic renal disease compromises insulin degradation as well as glucose production and utilization [4]. Disturbed carbohydrate metabolism has been recognized as a common feature amongst human subjects with renal failure [4,5] and animal models of uremia [6,7], with the underling mechanism believed to be due to peripheral insulin resistance [6,8,9]. Whether renal impairment can cause islet b-cell damage is unknown; the relationship between the pancreatic islets and kidney is undoubtedly complex.…”