Influence of exogenous ATP on blood sugar, serum insulin and serum free fatty acids in short-term experimental hyperthyroid dogs and in euthyroid controls.

We studied the influence of ATP administration on blood sugar (BS), serum immunoreactive insulin (IRI) and serum free fatty acid (FFA) responses to glucose-induced hyperglycemia in short-term experimental hyperthyroid (STEH) dogs and in euthyroid controls. Hyperthyroidism was induced by a 10-day s.c. treatment with 100 micrograms/kg body weight 1-thyroxine. Glucose challenge was performed by i.v. infusion (700 mg/kg body weight as a priming dose, followed by 20 mg/kg body weight/min for 60 min). ATP (1 mg/kg body weight/min) was infused for 100 min 40 min before and 60 min during glucose administration). Glucose-induced hyperglycemia was more prolonged in the hyperthyroid group. ATP treatment did not affect the BS profile of controls but raised that of STEH animals. In the normal controls the insulinemic response to hyperglycemia was enhanced during ATP infusion. By contrast, in the STEH dogs insulin levels during glucose infusion was lower than in controls and did not significantly increase when ATP was added. ATP infusion induced a significant elevation of serum FFA, which was more pronounced in hyperthyroid animals with a greater fall during glucose administration and a marked increase during the period of recovery from hyperglycemia. In conclusion, we postulate that short-term hyperthyroidism in dogs may inhibit adenylate cyclase function in pancreatic B-cells and chiefly stimulate the action of cAMP-phosphodiesterase activity, thereby affecting insulin secretion.