title: Effects of steroid hormones on DNA synthesis and insulin production of isolated foetal rat pancreatic islets in tissue culture.
abstract: This study describes the effects of prednisolone, oestradiol-17B and progesterone on DNA replication and insulin biosynthesis and release of cultured foetal rat islets. Prednisolone significantly inhibited the incorporation of [3H]-thymidine into DNA of islets cultured at a physiological (5.5 mmol/l) but not at a high (22 mmol/l) glucose concentration. It also increased insulin biosynthesis and release of islets cultured at 5.5 mmol/l glucose. Oestradiol-17B reduced the incorporation of [3H]-thymidine into islet DNA at both glucose concentrations, but had no effect on insulin biosynthesis and release. Progesterone had no effect on either the growth or the function of the cultured foetal islets. The observations show a clear dissociation between the action of prednisolone on islet growth versus islet function. They also support the view that neither progesterone nor oestradiol is directly involved in the high rate of B-cell replication previously observed in islets of pregnant rats.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D046508:Culture Techniques; D004247:DNA / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007328:Insulin / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013936:Thymidine / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol; D004247:DNA; D011239:Prednisolone; D013936:Thymidine