title: The hypoglycaemic action of somatostatin in the anaesthetized dog.
abstract: The hypoglycaemic action of somatostatin was investigated in fasted anaesthetized dogs. An isotopic turnover technique with radioactive D-[2-3H] glucose tracer was used to measure the rates of hepatic production and peripheral utilization of glucose before, during, and after a 60min infusion of 150 mug somatostatin. Plasma concentrations of insulin, glucagon, growth hormone, cortisol and free fatty acids were also measured. Somatostatin infusion caused a fall of plasma glucose demonstrable within 10 min. After 60 min plasma glucose had fallen to 75% of the pre-infusion concentration. Simultaneoulsy the specific activity of the D-[2-3H] glucose increased and calculation of the rates of production and utilization of glucose over 10 min intervals indicated that the mean hepatic production rate of glucose fell to 59% of the pre-infusion rate while the rate of peripheral utilization of glucose fell to 83% of the pre-infusion rate. These results show that the hypoglycaemic action of intravenous somatostatin depends exclusively upon the inhibition of hepatic glucose production. This effect may have been partly due to a fall of plasma glucagon concentration and occurred despite a fall of plasma insulin to less than 1 mu 1(-1).
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D004285:Dogs; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / Q000097:blood; D005934:Glucagon / Q000097:blood; D005947:Glucose / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000139:chemically induced*; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; D007328:Insulin; D013004:Somatostatin; D013006:Growth Hormone; D005934:Glucagon; D005947:Glucose; D006854:Hydrocortisone