title: Somatostatin. Its possible role in carbohydrate homeostasis and the treatment of diabetes mellitus.
abstract: Somatostatin, a peptide inhibitor of growth hormone release originally isolated from the hypothalamus, is also present in D cells of pancreatic islets. Its ability to inhibit the secretion of insulin and glucagon suggests that it may be a local regulator of pancreatic A- and B-cell function. Studies using synthetic somatostatin have provided evidence that glucagon is a physiologically important hormone that exacerbates the consequences of insulin deficiency in human diabetes mellitus. The ability of somatostatin to diminish both fasting and post-prandial hyperglycemia and to forestall the development of ketoacidosis after withdrawal of insulin in insulin-dependent diabetics suggests a potential therapeutic use of this agent in diabetes. Presently, however, its short half-life and diverse actions preclude such use and have prompted the search for more specific and longer-acting analogs.
mesh_terms: D000138:Acidosis / Q000517:prevention & control; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005215:Fasting; D005934:Glucagon / Q000502:physiology; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000188:drug therapy; D007328:Insulin / Q000172:deficiency; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000502:physiology; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000502:physiology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D013004:Somatostatin; D005934:Glucagon