Extrapancreatic effect of somatostatin infusion to increase glucose clearance.

Constant intraportal insulin, coupled with variable intraportal glucagon, was used in the attempt to reestablish basal metabolic conditions in dogs during somatostatin (SRIF) infusion (0.8 micrograms X min-1 X kg-1). SRIF alone lowered glucose (G), insulin (I), and glucagon (GN) (G: 90 +/- 5 to 69 +/- 1 mg/dl; I: 18 +/- 4 to 4 +/- 1 microU/ml; GN: 257 +/- 52 to 168 +/- 40 pg/ml; P less than 0.05 or better). Hormone replacement. Hypoglycemia persisted (G at steady state, SS, 60-150 min): 12 +/- 3 mg/dl below basal; P = 0.006) despite intraportal insulin replacement (200 microU X min-1 X kg-1; insulin at basal: 14 +/- 1; at SS: 14 +/- 2 microU/ml; P greater than 0.9) and glucagon overreplacement (basal: 341 +/- 42; SS: 486 +/- 80 pg/ml; P less than 0.05). Glucose clearance was increased 65% above basal (P less than 0.0001). Insulin underreplacement. With a lower intraportal insulin infusion rate (50 microU X min-1 X kg-1), insulin fell from basal (10 +/- 2 microU/ml) to 4 +/- 1 microU/ml during steady state (P = 0.03). Glucose and glucose clearance were normalized to basal values (G: 85 +/- 3 mg/dl, P = 0.3; clearance: 5.7 +/- 0.5 ml X min-1 X kg-1; P = 0.2) with full glucagon replacement (basal: 281 +/- 120; SS: 264 +/- 80 pg/ml; P greater than 0.9). Thus, during constant SRIF infusion, normoglycemia was reattained when insulin was underreplaced via the portal vein. The failure to reattain euglycemia with normoinsulinemia was due to a SRIF-induced increase in extrahepatic glucose clearance. Insulin replacement and growth hormone (GH) infusion. GH (15 ng X min-1 X kg-1) partially reversed the hypoglycemia during SRIF, with full insulin replacement. The SRIF-induced increase in glucose clearance may be partially mediated by a decrease in GH.