Contribution to the regulatory role of insulin in inflammation and anaphylaxis.

Insulin, in doses which did not influence the blood sugar level, potentiated the anaphylactic shock in ovalbumin-sensitized CFLP mice and moderately inhibited the carrageenan-induced paw edema. Higher doses were found to produce a dose-dependent inhibition of the inflammatory process at the 2nd hour, and caused less suppression at the 4th hour of the swelling. These results suggest that insulin may play a complex regulatory role in hypersensitivity and inflammatory reactions, and its effect is not necessarily related to hypoglycemia.