Metabolism and beta-cell function of rat pancreatic islets exposed to human interleukin-1 beta in the presence of a high glucose concentration.

It has been postulated that one of the factors causing immune-mediated pancreatic beta-cell destruction in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is interleukin-1 (IL-1). Rat pancreatic islets exposed to human recombinant IL-1 beta (rIL-1 beta) for 48 h in vitro exhibit a markedly reduced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Also, a deleterious effect of glucose on beta-cell function, especially under conditions of a reduced beta-cell mass, which may exist in the early phase of IDDM has been suggested. In this study the response of rat pancreatic islets in vitro to a combination of the cytokine and high glucose concentration have therefore been assessed. Thus, islets were cultured for 48 h at either 11.1 or 56 mM glucose with or without 25 U/ml rIL-1 beta. Exposure to the cytokine reduced the islet DNA content at both glucose concentrations by 20-25%. In short-term incubations in the absence of rIL-1 beta after the preceding culture with the cytokine, the glucose-stimulated insulin release was reduced by 70% in islets cultured at 11.1 mM glucose and by only 40% after culture at 56 mM glucose, when compared to the corresponding control islets. The utilization of D-[5-3H]glucose, i.e., the catabolism of glucose in the glycolytic pathway, was the same in all groups of islets. However, the D-[6-14C]glucose oxidation rate, i.e., the metabolism of glucose in the Krebs cycle, was reduced by about 65% in rIL-1 beta exposed islets kept at 11.1 mM glucose and 46% in islets cultured at 56 mM glucose.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)