Estrogen receptors in the islets of Langerhans of baboons.

Previous clinical studies have indicated that during pregnancy and following administration of contraceptives women show altered carbohydrate metabolism. We performed autoradiographic studies using 3H-estradiol-17 beta and 3H-dihydrotestosterone on male and female baboons. Discrete sites of localization of exposed photographic emulsion were observed over nuclei of cells of the islets of Langerhans of the pancreases of baboons injected with estrogen but not over those of baboons injected with androgen. These observations that islet cells contain specific receptors for estrogen when combined with the clinical observations, suggest that estrogens have a direct effect on the islet cells that may modulate the release of insulin.