The exocrine pancreas, liver, and submandibular glands of the rat were used to express and secrete two exogenous, human protein hormones (growth hormone and insulin) into blood at physiological concentrations. Transfection, expression, and secretion were achieved by the in vivo retrograde injection of plasmid DNA into the secretory ducts of these glands. Pancreatic acinar cells secreted physiological concentrations of growth hormone into the circulation, and its secretion was enhanced by cholinergic stimulation. A human insulin gene was engineered to allow normal processing of insulin in non-beta cells. With this gene, the secretion of human insulin by the exocrine pancreas normalized elevated blood glucose levels in diabetic rats. These in vivo observations demonstrate the utility of retrograde ductal administration of naked DNA into exocrine organs as a novel method for the regulated systemic delivery of protein-based pharmaceuticals.

This report has investigated desensitization of pancreatic B cell secretion, or diminution of the insulin response to chronic stimulation. Freshly isolated rat islets were continuously challenged with various secretagogues over 24 h either in batch incubation or in a computer-controlled, flow-through perifusion system. At various glucose concentrations, secretion rose to a peak level in the third hour, then dropped to a new desensitized secretory level which was 25% or less than that of the maximum rate. The amount of insulin secreted was glucose dependent although secretory kinetics were independent of the amount of hormone secreted. At all glucose concentrations the reduction in islet insulin content was not great enough to account for the observed degree of desensitization. Furthermore at hour 20, islets responded vigorously to an alternate stimulus, indicating insulin stores and islet secretory machinery were still capable of being stimulated. Addition of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine or forskolin did not prevent glucose-induced desensitization. Insulin secretion desensitized similarly to nonglucose (alpha-ketoisocaproic acid) and nonfuel (phorbol ester) stimuli. Glucose potentiation of a terminal KIC response, although demonstrable after 20 h of chronic glucose, was diminished somewhat compared to that after 3 h of chronic glucose. Delaying glucose stimulation by 6 h reduced insulin secretion, yet desensitization persisted. Although insulin secretion entrained to a glucose signal which oscillated from 1.3-12.7 mM in sine wave pulses of 90-min frequency, desensitization was not prevented. Thus, desensitization occurred in response to glucose, nonglucose, and nonfuel stimuli and despite delayed or oscillating signals. We conclude that exhaustion of a finite insulin compartment is not the underlying defect in desensitized secretion and suggest that metabolic feedback or recruitment of multiple heterogeneous compartments may explain this phenomenon.

Although information regarding insulin secretion usually is considered equivalent when generated in the mouse or the rat, it is established that the kinetics of insulin secretion from mouse and rat pancreatic beta cells differ. The mechanisms underlining these differences are not understood. The in vitro perfused pancreas and isolated islets of the mouse or rat were employed in this study to investigate the role of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), a major positive modulator of beta-cell function, as one differentiating signal for the uniquely different insulin release from the beta cells of these commonly used rodents. Glucose-stimulated first-phase insulin release from the perfused pancreas of the rat was higher than the mouse when calculated per gram of pancreas or as fractional secretion, but this phase was identical in the two species when results were adjusted for total body weight. Whether related to insulin content, pancreatic weight or body weight, the rat pancreas responded to glucose with a progressively increasing second-phase insulin release compared to the mouse pancreas, which secreted a flat second-phase of lesser magnitude. Isolated islets from rat and mouse were comparable in insulin content whereas the basal cAMP level of mouse islets was less than half that of the rat. At submaximal stimulation with glucose or glucose + IBMX or forskolin, mouse islets exhibited lower cAMP levels to a given stimulus than the rat. In rat islets cAMP levels increased to approximately 1000 fmol per islet, although insulin secretion maximized by 100-150 fmol.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

In this study, in vitro B-cell models are described, which may be applicable for studying the reported B-cell desensitization produced by hyperglycemia in IDDM and NIDDM. Using a programmable perifusion/perfusion system, insulin secretion from perifused islets was measured at 10-30-min intervals for 24-50 h. After 3-4 h continuous glucose (11 mM), a new phase of insulin release occurs in which secretion declines to, and remains at, approximately 25% maximal release. Results were similar when using: perifused islets embedded in Cytodex 3, or Bio-Gel P-2, 100-200 mesh; batchincubated islets with hourly changes of medium; and the isolated pancreas perfused for 8 h. Three different media, Hana HB 104 (fortified, fully defined medium), RPMI-1640 + 10% FBS, and perfusion bufferalbumin, were used. Despite reduced secretion to continuous glucose, each system responded vigorously to an acute stimulation with glucose-forskolin. Decreased secretion was primarily caused by decreased secretagogue efficiency (reduced fractional secretion). Prolonged stimulation with glucose or glucose-IBMX produced a similar waning of secretion regardless of the amount of insulin released. It is concluded that the third phase of insulin secretion may represent a secret-agogue-induced, signal desensitization of the B-cell, rather than exhaustion of a B-cell compartment of stored insulin.

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