title: Effects of tacrine on insulin secretion and 86Rb+ and 45Ca++ efflux from rat pancreatic islets.
abstract: Tacrine (1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-9-aminoacridine), a drug that has attained interest because of its ability to alleviate symptoms in Alzheimer's type of dementia, was found to stimulate insulin secretion from isolated rat pancreatic islets. The insulinotropic effect of the drug was observed at 8.3 mM but not at 3.3 mM glucose and was dependent on extracellular Ca++. From perifused 86Rb(+)-prelabeled islets, tacrine inhibited the fractional efflux of 86Rb+ at 3.3 mM glucose, but stimulated 86Rb+ efflux at 8.3 mM glucose. These effects persisted in the absence of extracellular Ca++. Tacrine also stimulated 45Ca++ efflux from perifused 45Ca(++)-prelabeled islets at 8.3 mM but had no effect on 45Ca++ efflux at 3.3 mM glucose or in the absence of extracellular Ca++. It is concluded that tacrine potentiates glucose-stimulated insulin secretion by a mechanism that is dependent on extracellular Ca++ and involves an increased Ca++ influx. The increased Ca++ influx is either secondary to a decreased K+ permeability induced by an inhibition of ATP-dependent K+ channels and/or due to a direct effect of tacrine on glucose-activated Ca++ channels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Lund University, Sweden.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karlsson
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ahrén
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000187:drug effects; D002132:Calcium Radioisotopes; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism*; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010477:Perfusion; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism*; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012413:Rubidium / Q000378:metabolism*; D012414:Rubidium Radioisotopes; D013619:Tacrine / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D002132:Calcium Radioisotopes; D007328:Insulin; D015221:Potassium Channels; D012414:Rubidium Radioisotopes; D013619:Tacrine; D005947:Glucose; D012413:Rubidium; D011188:Potassium; D002118:Calcium