title: In vitro studies of the stimulation of insulin secretion and B-cell proliferation by rat placental lactogen-II during pregnancy in rats.
abstract: The present study investigated the effect of rat placental lactogen-II (rPL-II) on insulin secretion and B-cell proliferation of the maternal islets during the last half of pregnancy in rats using a homologous system. Pancreatic islets were isolated from nonpregnant rats and rats at day 13 of pregnancy and cultured for 8 days in medium containing trophoblast culture medium or purified hormones. The medium was changed daily and insulin concentrations were determined by measuring immunoreactivity. The number of proliferating B cells were determined by double staining for both insulin and 5'-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporated into replicating DNA during the last 24 h of incubation. rPL-II-enriched medium, in which trophoblasts of placentae from rats at day 13 of pregnancy were incubated for 8 days, was added to the islet culture system. Insulin concentration in the medium of non-pregnant rat islets was significantly increased and doubled on incubation in 100% trophoblast culture medium. Addition of purified rPL-II to the culture medium of pregnant rat islets stimulated insulin secretion at the concentrations of 50-500 ng ml-1 in a dose-dependent manner. The stimulatory effect of rPL-II on insulin secretion was found to be more than double that with rat prolactin (rPRL) and rat growth hormone (rGH) at 100 ng ml-1. For determination of B-cell proliferation, non-pregnant rat islets were incubated with rPL-II, rPRL or rGH at 1000 ng ml-1 for 8 days and then 10 mmol BrdU l-1 was added during the last 24 h of incubation. rPL-II (5.30 +/- 0.36%), rPRL (3.79 +/- 0.34%) and rGH (2.87 +/- 0.29%) significantly increased the rate of incorporation of BrdU into the B cells compared with that of the control (1.34 +/- 0.18%). These results indicate that rPL-II directly regulates insulin secretion and B-cell proliferation of maternal islets during the last half of pregnancy in rats.
authors.affiliation: New Drug Research Laboratories, Shionogi & Co., Ltd, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawai
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kishi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D046508:Culture Techniques; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism*; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D010928:Placental Lactogen / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011388:Prolactin / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D007328:Insulin; C062303:placental lactogen II; D011388:Prolactin; D013006:Growth Hormone; D010928:Placental Lactogen