title: Diffusion induced oscillatory insulin secretion.
abstract: Oscillatory secretion of insulin has been observed in many different experimental preparations. Here we examine a mathematical model for in vitro insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells in a flow-through reactor. The analysis shows that oscillations result because of an important interplay between flow rate of the reactor and insulin diffusion. In particular, if the ratio of flow rate to volume of the reaction bed is too large, oscillations are eliminated, in contradiction to the conclusions of Maki and Keizer (L. W. Maki and Keizer J. Mathematical analysis of a proposed mechanism for oscillatory insulin secretion in perifused HIT-15 cells. Bull. Math. Biol., 57(1995), 569-591). Furthermore, with reasonable numbers for the experimental parameters and the diffusion of insulin, the model equations do not exhibit oscillations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City 84112, USA. keener@math.utah.edu
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Keener
mesh_terms: D019149:Bioreactors; D004058:Diffusion; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin