Protection of insulin secretion by magnesium during islet culture: independence of cAMP/or insulin accumulation.

Pancreatic rat islets cultured for 12 days maintained their insulin content and biosynthesis when cultivated at 10 mmol/l glucose. The glucose-induced insulin secretion investigated in a subsequent incubation period was, however, reduced. At a Mg++ concentration of 5.3 mmol/l in the tissue culture medium not only the content and biosynthesis, but also the secretory response of cultured islets remained fully preserved compared to freshly isolated islets. The secretory response of pancreatic islets cultured at 0.8 or 5.3 mmol/l Mg++ for 4 days was neither related to steady state concentrations of cAMP nor connected to the cAMP accumulation in response to IBMX. The results demonstrated that the favourable effect of Mg++ during a culture period on the subsequent insulin release is not directly related to hormone storage, synthesis and/or cAMP-accumulation.