L-arginine stimulation of glucose-induced insulin secretion through membrane depolarization and independent of nitric oxide. (1/544)

The mechanism of L-arginine stimulation of glucose-induced insulin secretion from mouse pancreatic islets was studied. At 16.7 mmol/l glucose, L-arginine (10 mmol/l) potentiated both phases 1 and 2 of glucose-induced insulin secretion. This potentiation of glucose-induced insulin secretion was mimicked by the membrane depolarizing agents tetraethylammonium (TEA, 20 mmol/l) and K+ (60 mmol/l), which at 16.7 mmol/l glucose obliterated L-arginine (10 mmol/l) modulation of insulin secretion. Thus L-arginine may potentiate glucose-induced insulin secretion by stimulation of membrane depolarization. At 3.3 mmol/l glucose, L-arginine (10 mmol/l) failed to stimulate insulin secretion. In accordance with membrane depolarization by the electrogenic transport of L-arginine, however, L-arginine (10 mmol/l) stimulation of insulin secretion was enabled by the K+ channel inhibitor TEA (20 mmol/l), which potentiates membrane depolarization by L-arginine. Furthermore, L-arginine (10 mmol/l) stimulation of insulin secretion was permitted by forskolin (10 micromol/l) or tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (0.16 micromol/l), which, by activation of protein kinases A and C respectively sensitize the exocytotic machinery to L-arginine-induced Ca2+ influx. Thus glucose may sensitize L-arginine stimulation of insulin secretion by potentiation of membrane depolarization and by activation of protein kinase A or protein kinase C. Finally, L-arginine stimulation of glucose-induced insulin secretion was mimicked by NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (10 mmol/l), which stimulates membrane depolarization but inhibits nitric oxide synthase, suggesting that L-arginine-derived nitric oxide neither inhibits nor stimulates insulin secretion. In conclusion, it is suggested that L-arginine potentiation of glucose-induced insulin secretion occurs independently of nitric oxide, but is mediated by membrane depolarization, which stimulates insulin secretion through protein kinase A- and C-sensitive mechanisms.  (+info)

Vasodilative properties of BPDZ 79, a new potassium channel opener, in isolated aorta. (2/544)

AIM: To compare the effect of a novel potassium channel opener 3-(1',2',2'-trimethylpropyl)amine-4H-pyrido (2,3-e)-1,2,4-thiadiazine, 1-dioxide (BPDZ 79), with diazoxide on aorta. METHODS: Muscle tension of rat aorta was compared with adjacent aortic rings without endothelium. One ring was precontracted with KCl 80 mmol.L-1. Three rings were precontracted with KCl 80 mmol.L-1, and two of them were incubated with glibenclamide (0, 1, and 10 mumol.L-1). 86Rb outflow from rat aorta was measured in the presence of glibenclamide 10 mumol.L-1. RESULTS: BPDZ 79 and diazoxide provoked concentration-dependent and endothelium-independent relaxation of the vasoconstriction evoked by KCl 30 mmol.L-1, but not by 80 mmol.L-1. BPDZ 79 showed more potent vasorelaxation and 86Rb outflow than diazoxide. After incubation with glibenclamide (1 and 10 mumol.L-1), an inhibitor of the ATP-sensitive K+ channels, the relaxation induced by BPDZ 79 and diazoxide were decreased with the same pattern. CONCLUSION: BPDZ 79 is a potent vasodilator by opening potassium channels.  (+info)

Response of adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase to the cephalic phase of insulin secretion. (3/544)

Modulation of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) allows a tissue-specific partitioning of triglyceride-derived fatty acids, and insulin is a major modulator of its activity. The present studies were aimed to assess in rats the contribution of insulin to the response of adipose tissue and muscle LPL to food intake. Epididymal and retroperitoneal adipose LPL rose 65% above fasting values as early as 1 h after the onset of a 30-min high-carbohydrate meal, with a second activity peak 1 h later that was maintained for an additional 2 h. Soleus muscle LPL was decreased by 25% between 0.5 and 4 h after meal intake. The essential contribution of insulin to the LPL response to food intake was determined by preventing the full insulin response to meal intake by administration of diazoxide (150 mg/kg body wt, in the meal). The usual postprandial changes in adipose and muscle LPL did not occur in the absence of an increase in insulinemia. However, the early (60 min) increase in adipose tissue LPL was not prevented by the drug, likely because of the maintenance of the early centrally mediated phase of insulin secretion. In a subsequent study, rats chronically implanted with a gastric cannula were used to demonstrate that the postprandial rise in adipose LPL is independent of nutrient absorption and can be elicited by the cephalic (preabsorptive) phase of insulin secretion. Obese Zucker rats were used because of their strong cephalic insulin response. After an 8-h fast, rats were fed a liquid diet ad libitum (orally, cannula closed), sham fed (orally, cannula opened), or fed directly into the stomach via the cannula during 4 h. Insulinemia increased 10-fold over fasting levels in ad libitum- and intragastric-fed rats and threefold in sham-fed rats. Changes in adipose tissue LPL were proportional to the elevation in plasma insulin levels, demonstrating that the cephalic-mediated rise in insulinemia, in the absence of nutrient absorption, stimulates adipose LPL. These results demonstrate the central role of insulin in the postprandial response of tissue LPL, and they show that cephalically mediated insulin secretion is able to stimulate adipose LPL.  (+info)

ATP-sensitive potassium channels regulate in vivo dopamine release in rat striatum. (4/544)

ATP-sensitive K+ channels (K(ATP)) are distributed in a variety of tissues including smooth muscle, cardiac and skeletal muscle, pancreatic beta-cells and neurons. Since K(ATP) channels are present in the nigrostriatal dopamine (DA) pathway, the effect of potassium-channel modulators on the release of DA in the striatum of conscious, freely-moving rats was investigated. The extracellular concentration of DA was significantly decreased by the K(ATP)-channel opener (-)-cromakalim but not by diazoxide. (-)-Cromakalim was effective at 100 and 1000 microM concentrations, and the maximum decrease was 54% below baseline. d-Amphetamine significantly increased extracellular DA levels at the doses of 0.75 and 1.5 mg/kg, s.c. with a 770% maximum increase. (-)-Cromakalim had no effect on d-amphetamine-induced DA release, while glyburide, a K(ATP) blocker, significantly potentiated the effects of a low dose of d-amphetamine. These data indicate that K+ channels present in the nigrostriatal dopaminergic terminals modulate basal release as well as evoked release of DA.  (+info)

Caffeine releases a glucose-primed endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pool in the insulin secreting cell line INS-1. (5/544)

Caffeine mobilized an intracellular Ca2+ pool in intact fura-2-loaded INS-1 cells in suspension exposed to high (16 mM) [glucose], while a minor effect was observed with low (2 mM) [glucose]. Cells were kept in a medium containing diaxozide or no Ca2+ to prevent the influx of extracellular Ca2+. The caffeine-sensitive intracellular Ca2+ pool was within the endoplasmic reticulum since it was depleted by the inhibitor of the reticular Ca2+ pumps thapsigargin and the InsP3-dependent agonist carbachol. No effect of caffeine was observed in the parent glucose-insensitive RINmF5 cells. In microsomes from INS-1 but not RINmF5 cells, the type 2 ryanodine receptor was present as revealed by Western blotting. It was concluded that the endoplasmic reticulum of INS-1 cells possesses caffeine-sensitive type 2 ryanodine receptors Ca2+ channels.  (+info)

Long-term follow up of persistent hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia of infancy. (6/544)

Twenty six children with hypoglycaemia were diagnosed and followed between 1975 and 1995. Diagnosis was confirmed by a high insulin:glucose ratio, and low free fatty acid and 3-hydroxybutyrate on fasting. All patients were treated with diazoxide at a maximum dose of 20 mg/kg/day. Requirement of a higher dose was considered as a failure of medical treatment and an indication for surgery. Sixteen children Responded to diazoxide; 10 failed to respond and underwent pancreatic resection. Six of the latter group started with symptoms in the neonatal period. Eleven of the 26 children have neurological sequelae. Head growth and neurological outcome correlated well. Additionally, non-specific electroencephalogram abnormalities (slow waves) appear to be indicative of subclinical hypoglycaemia during follow up.  (+info)

Ischemic preconditioning depends on interaction between mitochondrial KATP channels and actin cytoskeleton. (7/544)

Both mitochondrial ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channels and the actin cytoskeleton have been proposed to be end-effectors in ischemic preconditioning (PC). For evaluation of the participation of these proposed end effectors, rabbits underwent 30 min of regional ischemia and 3 h of reperfusion. PC by 5-min ischemia + 10-min reperfusion reduced infarct size by 60%. Diazoxide, a mitochondrial KATP-channel opener, administered before ischemia was protective. Protection was lost when diazoxide was given after onset of ischemia. Anisomycin, a p38/JNK activator, reduced infarct size, but protection from both diazoxide and anisomycin was abolished by 5-hydroxydecanoate (5-HD), an inhibitor of mitochondrial KATP channels. Isolated adult rabbit cardiomyocytes were subjected to simulated ischemia by centrifuging the cells into an oxygen-free pellet for 3 h. PC was induced by prior pelleting for 10 min followed by resuspension for 15 min. Osmotic fragility was assessed by adding cells to hypotonic (85 mosmol) Trypan blue. PC delayed the progressive increase in fragility seen in non-PC cells. Incubation with diazoxide or pinacidil was as protective as PC. Anisomycin reduced osmotic fragility, and this was reversed by 5-HD. Interestingly, protection by PC, diazoxide, and pinacidil could be abolished by disruption of the cytoskeleton by cytochalasin D. These data support a role for both mitochondrial KATP channels and cytoskeletal actin in protection by PC.  (+info)

Potassium channel activity recorded from the apical membrane of freshly isolated epithelial cells in rat caudal epididymis. (8/544)

K+ channels were recorded in excised, inside-out patches from the apical membrane of the freshly isolated tubule of the caudal portion of the rat epididymis. With asymmetric K+ concentrations in bath and pipette (140 mM K+in/6 mM K+out), the channels had a slope conductance of 54.2 pS at 0 mV. The relative permeability of K+ over Na+ was about 171 to 1. The channels were activated by intracellular Ca2+ and by membrane depolarization. These channels belong to a class defined as "intermediate-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channel. " External tetraethylammonium ions (TEA+) caused a flickery block of the channel with reduction in single-channel current amplitude measured at a range of holding membrane potentials (-40 to 60 mV). Activity of the K+ channels was inhibited by intracellular ATP (KD =1.188 mM). The channel activity was detected only occasionally in patches from the apical membrane (about 1 in 17 patches containing active channels). The presence of the intermediate-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels indicates that they could provide a route for K+ secretion in a Ca2+-dependent process responsible for a high luminal K+ concentration found in the epididymal duct of the rat.  (+info)