Effect of adrenaline on insulin secretion in rats treated chronically with adrenaline

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Abstract
To determine whether rats could adapt to a chronic exogenous supply of adrenaline by a decrease in the well-known inhibitory effect of adrenaline on insulin secretion, plasma glucose and insulin levels were measured in unanesthetized control and adrenaline-treated rats (300 μg/kg twice a day for 28 days) during an adrenaline infusion (0.75 μg kg−1 min−1), after an acute glucose load (0.5 g/kg), and during the simultaneous administration of both agents. Chronic treatment with adrenaline did not modify the initial glucose levels but it greatly diminished the basal insulin values (21.57 ± 2.48 vs. 44.69 ± 3.3 μU/ml, p < 0.01). In the control rats, despite the elevated glucose concentrations, a significant drop in plasma insulin levels was observed within the first 15 min of adrenaline infusion, followed by a period of recovery. In the adrenaline-treated group, in which plasma glucose levels were lower than in control animals, plasma insulin levels did not drop as in control rats, but a significant increase was found after 30 min of infusion. During the intravenous glucose tolerance test, the plasma glucose and insulin responses showed similar patterns; however, during the concomitant adrenaline infusion, the treated rats showed a better glucose tolerance than their controls. These results indicate that rats chronically treated with adrenaline adapt to the diabetogenic effect of an infusion of adrenaline by having a lower inhibition of insulin release, although the lower basal insulin levels may indicate a greater sensitivity to endogenous insulin.