title: Exogenous hyperglucagonaemia in insulin controlled diabetic rats increases urea excretion and nitrogen loss from organs.
abstract: In order to study the effect of hyperglucagonaemia on nitrogen metabolism in diabetes, zinc protamine glucagon 60 micrograms was injected subcutaneously 3 times daily for 4 weeks into streptozotocin diabetic rats (n = 5), adequately treated with long acting insulin. This raised the plasma concentration of glucagon to 725 +/- 125 (mean +/- SEM), which is not different from that found in portal blood of uncontrolled diabetic rats: 400 +/- 75 ng/l. The controls were 5 diabetic rats treated with insulin alone and 5 non-diabetic rats. Compared with control rats the nitrogen balance was reduced (p less than 0.05) and the nitrogen contents of carcass, heart, intestines, and kidneys were reduced by 15-30% (p less than 0.05) in the glucagon treated rats. The hepatic capacity of urea synthesis and the alanine elimination rate were determined in the 3 above-mentioned groups, and confirmed in 3 identical groups followed for only 2 weeks; and in addition in a group of glucagon treated diabetic rats, where the long acting glucagon was substituted by neutral insulin the last two days before investigation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Division of Hepatology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Almdal
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vilstrup
mesh_terms: D000409:Alanine / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005934:Glucagon / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007328:Insulin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012016:Reference Values; D014508:Urea / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D014508:Urea; D005934:Glucagon; D009584:Nitrogen; D000409:Alanine