title: Immunoradiometric assay of insulin, intact proinsulin and 32-33 split proinsulin and radioimmunoassay of insulin in diet-treated type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic subjects.
abstract: Plasma insulin, intact proinsulin and 32-33 split proinsulin measured by specific immunoradiometric assays and insulin and C-peptide measured by radioimmunoassay were measured during a constant infusion of glucose test in ten diet-treated subjects with a history of Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes (termed diabetic subjects), mean fasting plasma glucose 6.0 +/- 1.0 mmol/l (mean +/- SD), and 12 non-diabetic control subjects. Immunoreactive insulin concentrations measured by radioimmunoassay were 33% higher than insulin and 16% higher than the sum of insulin and its precursors by immunoradiometric assay. The diabetic and non-diabetic subjects had similar fasting concentrations of insulin, intact proinsulin and 32-33 split proinsulin. The ratio of fasting intact proinsulin to total insulin was greater in the diabetic than the non-diabetic group 12.0% (6.8-21.0%, 1 SD range) and 6.3% (4.0-9.8%), respectively, p less than 0.01), though the groups overlapped substantially. After glucose infusion, diabetic and non-diabetic subjects had similar intact proinsulin concentrations (geometric mean 4.9 and 5.2 pmol/l, respectively), but the diabetic group had impaired insulin secretion by immunoradiometric assay (geometric means 55 and 101 pmol/l, p less than 0.05) or by radioimmunoassay C-peptide (geometric means 935 and 1410 pmol/l, p less than 0.05), though not by radioimmunoassay insulin (87 and 144 pmol/l, p = 0.12), respectively. Individual immunoradiometric assay insulin responses to glucose expressed in terms of obesity were subnormal in nine of ten diabetic subjects. Radioimmunoassay insulin and C-peptide gave less complete discrimination (subnormal responses in six of ten and eight of ten, respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Burnett
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: C N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Hales
mesh_terms: D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002096:C-Peptide / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood* / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000235:genetics; D003927:Diet, Diabetic; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015592:Immunoradiometric Assay / Q000379:methods; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011384:Proinsulin / Q000097:blood*; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay / Q000379:methods; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D002096:C-Peptide; D007328:Insulin; D011498:Protein Precursors; C070703:proinsulin, des(31,32)-; D011384:Proinsulin