Summary. Release of insulin and glucagon from perfused pancreases in vitro of 40 normal male and female Chinese hamsters (from one inbred subline) and 110 male and female diabetic hamsters (from three inbred sublines) was measured in response to glucose plus arginine, theophylline alone, or potassium alone, in order to determine if differences in hormone secretion exist among different diabetic sublines. Glucose plus arginine and potassium produced subnormal insulin responses in all three diabetic sublines, whereas theophylline induced 'normal' or above normal insulin responses. Excessive glucagon release was consistently seen in only one diabetic subline. The female normal animals showed greater insulin release than the male normal hamsters in response to glucose plus arginine. This sex difference was not seen in the diabetic animals.
Key words:Chinese hamster, diabetes model, glucagon excess, glucagon release, insulin deficiency, insulin release, potassium, insulin secretion, theophylline.Certain inbred sublines of Chinese hamsters (Cricetulus griseus) spontaneously develop an insulin-deficient, non-obese type of diabetes mellitus with many sequelae similar to those seen in human diabetes [1,2]. Previous studies [3,4] have shown that the perfused pancreases of diabetic hamsters have subnormal insulin and excessive glucagon responses to glucose stimulation, excessive glucagon responses to arginine, but normal responses to theophylline. However, those studies did not compare the differences among specific diabetic sublines nor between males and females. In the last few years, several sublines have become more highly inbred, and differences in pancreatic and plasma levels of insulin and glucagon among different diabetic sublines have been observed [1, personal communication G.C.Gerritsen, Upjohn, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA]. No morphological or biochemical studies which might explain the differences in pancreatic and plasma hormones among diabetic sublines have been published. Therefore, to characterize the defect(s) in pancreatic hormone secretion in the diabetic hamster, the effects of three different secretagogues were studied on insulin and glucagon release from the perfused pancreases of hamsters from one inbred normal and three different inbred diabetic sublines. The stimuli were as follows: a combination of glucose (low concentration) plus arginine, theophylline alone, and potassium alone. These particular secretagogues were chosen because they stimulate both insulin and glucagon release and because each is believed to induce insulin release by a different, though related mechanism, i.e. through metabolism, elevation of intracellular cyclic AMP and calcium, and membrane depolarization, respectively.
Materials and MethodsAdult Chinese hamsters from one inbred normal (M) and three inbred diabetic (L, X, and Z) sublines were obtained from the Chinese Hamster Program Project colony at Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA [5]. It appears that these three diabetic sublines have subnormal pancreatic insulin, low and variable p...