Responses to arginine of the perfused pancreas of the genetically diabetic Chinese hamster.

Nonketotic, genetically diabetic Cinese hamsters show subnormal pancreatic insulin release and impaired suppression of glucagon in response to glucose. To study the pancreatic effects of other agents, dynamic insulin and glucagon release was measured from the in vitro perfused pancreases of normal and diabetic Chinese hamsters in response to various combinations of arginine (20mM), glucose (100 or 150 mg. per 100 ml.), and theophylline (10 mM). Theophylline alone caused identical insulin and glucagon release in diabetics and normals. Glucose, alone and in the presence of theophylline, caused subnormal insulin release and less suppression of glucagon release in the diabectics than in the normals. Arginine, in the presence of glucose and theophylline, caused excessive glucagon release but nearly normal insulin release in the diabetics. Arginine, in the absence of glucose or theophylline, caused excessive glucagon release in the diabetics and undetectable insulin release in either diabetics or normals. Pancreatic content after perfusion did not correlate with release during perfusion. Infusion of arginine alone markedly decreased the amount of extractable pancreatic insulin and glucagon. These results indicate that the pancreatic alpha cell of the diabetic Chinese hamster responds excessively to arginine, as is seen in the human diabetic. This defect is not related to acute insulin release or the presence of glucose. Further, these results confirm that the diabetic Chinese hamster's alpha and beta cells respond normally to theophylline, but are relatively insensitive to glucose.