Exogenous hyperglucagonaemia in insulin controlled diabetic rats increases urea excretion and nitrogen loss from organs

✍ Scribed by T. P. Almdal; H. Vilstrup

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1988
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 648 KB
• Volume: 31
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0012-186X
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00277487

✦ Synopsis

In order to study the effect of hyperglucagonaemia on nitrogen metabolism in diabetes, zinc protamine glucagon 60 micrograms was injected subcutaneously 3 times daily for 4 weeks into streptozotocin diabetic rats (n = 5), adequately treated with long acting insulin. This raised the plasma concentration of glucagon to 725 +/- 125 (mean +/- SEM), which is not different from that found in portal blood of uncontrolled diabetic rats: 400 +/- 75 ng/l. The controls were 5 diabetic rats treated with insulin alone and 5 non-diabetic rats. Compared with control rats the nitrogen balance was reduced (p less than 0.05) and the nitrogen contents of carcass, heart, intestines, and kidneys were reduced by 15-30% (p less than 0.05) in the glucagon treated rats. The hepatic capacity of urea synthesis and the alanine elimination rate were determined in the 3 above-mentioned groups, and confirmed in 3 identical groups followed for only 2 weeks; and in addition in a group of glucagon treated diabetic rats, where the long acting glucagon was substituted by neutral insulin the last two days before investigation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)