Summary
Methylxanthines, such as caffeine and theophylline, show effects increasing the secretion of insulin. Perfusion experiments were intended to find out whether insulin secretion is even influenced by uric acid, which is chemically closely related. Besides, it was to be demonstrated that uric acid causes no damages to islet cell structures for it is well established that alloxan, which is chemically related to uric acid, produces necroses in B cells. Isolated rat pancreata were stimulated by glucose at concentrations of 100 mg/100 ml and 300 mg/100 ml. In part of the experiments uric acid was added to the perfusion medium at a concentration of 12 mg/100 ml. We found that uric acid has no influence on insulin secretion if it is stimulated by glucose at a concentration of 100 mg/100 ml. However, if B cells are stimulated by glucose at a concentration of 300 mg/100 ml insulin secretion is enhanced by the addition of uric acid by more than 100%. This indicates that this substance exhibits a glucose-potentiating effect. The characteristic dynamics of insulin secretion demonstrate together with light- and electron-microscopic investigations that uric acid causes a real additional secretion and no leaking of intracellular insulin as a result of destruction of islet cell structures by an effect of uric acid similar to that of alloxan.
Zusammenfassung
Es ist bekannt, daß die Methylxanthine Coffein und Theophyllin die Insulinsekretion positiv beeinflussen. Im Rahmen von Perfusionsversuchen sollte untersucht werden, ob die Inselzellfunktion auch dem Einfluß der chemisch eng verwandten Harnsäure unterliegt. Zugleich sollte eine Destruktion von Inselzellstrukturen durch Harnsäure ausgeschlossen werden, da die chemisch ähnlich configurierte Substanz Alloxan bekanntlich Inselzellnekrosen verursacht. Dazu wurden isolierte Rattenbauchspeicheldrüsen mit Glukosekonzentrationen von 100 mg/100 ml und 300 mg/100 ml stimuliert. In einem Teil der Fälle wurde dem Perfusat Harnsäure in der Konzentration von 12 mg/100 ml zugegeben. Es zeigte sich, daß Harnsäure die Insulinsekretion bei Stimulation mit Glukose in der Konzentration von 100 mg/100 ml nicht beeinflußt. Werden die B-Zellen jedoch mit einer Glukosekonzentration von 300 mg/100 ml stimuliert, so steigert Harnsäure die Hormonfreisetzung im Sinne eines glukosepotenzierenden Effektes um mehr als 100%. Anhand charakteristischer Sekretionsphänomene sowie lichtoptischer und elektronenmikroskopischer Untersuchungen konnte nachgewiesen werden, daß es sich hierbei um eine echte Mehrsekretion handelt und nicht etwa um einen Auslaufeffekt als Folge einer Destruktion von Inselzellstrukturen durch eine alloxanähnliche Wirkung der Harnsäure.
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Worlicek, H., Grabner, W. & Riemann, J.F. Zur Wirkung von Harnsäure auf die B-Zelle des isoliert perfundierten Rattenpankreas. Res. Exp. Med. 178, 165–175 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01851491
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01851491