title: Enhanced glucagon secretion by pancreatic islets from prednisolone-treated mice.
abstract: This work was undertaken to study the effect of prednisolone on glucagon release in mouse pancreatic islets isolated by the collagenase technique. Pretreatment of the donors with prednisolone (0.2--0.3 mg daily) induced an increase in glucagon release both in the absence (1005+/-75, SEM, vs. 796+/-46 pg/10 islets/60 min, p=0.019) and in the presence of 7.5 mM arginine (1500+/-119 vs. 1236+/-61 pg/10 islets/60 min, p=0.05). The glucagon content of the islets was not modified by the treatment (28.6+/-1.1 vs. 28.0+/-1.1 ng/50 islets). The addition of prednisolone (5 - 10(-5) M) into the medium, failed to affect significantly glucagon secretion. In agreement with previous human studies, our data indicate that chronic glucocorticoid administration augments the secretory activity of the A-cell. This does not seem to be a result of increased glucagon synthesis nor a direct effect of glucocorticoids on the glucagon-releasing mechanism. Rather, environmental changes induced by these hormones could be responsible for A-cell hyperfunction.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000494:pharmacology; D005934:Glucagon / Q000378:metabolism*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D005934:Glucagon; D001120:Arginine; D011239:Prednisolone