THE EXPERIMENTAL INDUCTION IN MAN OF SENSITIVITY TO LEUCINE HYPOGLYCEMIA*

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Abstract
In healthy subjects, the effect of L-leucine upon blood glucose levels was small and inconsistent, but after pretreatment with sulfonylurea compounds, leucine produced consistent and large decreases in blood glucose. Leucine did not magnify the hypoglycemic effect obtained during infusions of insulin. After prolonged administration of ultralente insulin, administration of leucine produced decreases in blood glucose levels as great, in general, as those observed without pretreatment. It is concluded that: sensitivity to leucine hypoglycemia can be induced consistently in healthy subjects after administration of sulfonylurea compounds, release of insulin is the primary mechanism of action by which leucine causes hypoglycemia in man, leucine induces insulin release by a mechanism different from that produced by tolbutamide, potentiation of insulin activity cannot be demonstrated to play a role in the production of leucine-induced hypoglycemia in man, and the ability of sulfonylureas to induce sensitivity to leucine hypoglycemia in normal persons should simplify future investigations of the phenomenon of leucine-sensitivity.