Perfusion of the pancreas isolated from pertussis-sensitized rats: potentiation of insulin secretory responses due to beta-adrenergic stimulation.

In order to study the mechanism by which pertussis-sensitized rats showed enhanced insulin secretory responses to various secretagogues (Sumi, T., and M. Ui, Endocrinology 97: 352, 1975), pancreases of rats receiving a single injection of Bordetella pertussis cells 3 days before were perfused with Krebs-Ringer solution, and release of insulin therefrom was compared with that from the pancreases of normal rats. Much more insulin was released from the pancreas of the pertussis-sensitized rat than from the pancreas of the normal rat in response to glucose, arginine, glibenclamide and 3-isobuty-l-methylxanthine. The inhibition of insulin secretion caused by epinephrine, norepinephrine or phenylephrine via alpha-adrenergic receptors in the pancreas of normal rats was no longer observable with the pancreas from pertussis-sensitized rats. Instead, the addition of epinephrine with or without phentolamine gave rise to a marked secretion of insulin from the pancreas of pertussis-sensitized rats which was prevented by propranolol. It is concluded that a single injection of B. pertussis into rats results in a sustained modification of insulin secretory processes in the pancreatic beta-cells in such a manner as to favor insulin secretory responses to beta-adrenergic stimulation and other secretagogues.