Effects of prostaglandin E1 and prostaglandin F2alpha on insulin and glucagon plasma levels during the intravenous glucose tolerance test in man.

The influence of prostaglandin E1 and prostaglandin F2alpha on circulating concentrations of insulin and glucagon during the intravenous glucose tolerance test has been studied in normal man. Insulin responses to glucose during PGE1 infusion (0.2 microgram/Kg/min) were significantly lower than in control infusions (p less than 0.001 at 2, 5, 10 and 15 min). Moreover, PGE1 caused a clear elevation of basal glucagon (p less than 0.02). PGF2alpha, at the two doses used (0.2 and 0.5 microgram/Kg/min), had no effect on basal glucose, insulin and glucagon levels, nor upon glucose-induced insulin secretion. Neither prostaglandin affected the glucose-induced inhibition of pancreatic alpha-cells. There is thus some evidence that PGs of E series may play some role in modulating the secretion of human pancreatic beta-cells.