EFFECTS OF INSULIN ON PHYTOHEMAGGLUTININ-P, CONCANAVALIN-A, AND POKEWEED MITOGEN IN DIABETIC AND NON-DIABETIC LYMPHOCYTES

  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 11  (1) , 9-14
Abstract
Blast transformation of lymphocytes from diabetics and nondiabetics was evaluated after adding insulin at various concentrations. Responses to phytohemagglutinin-P (PHA-P), concanavalin-A (CON-A) and pokeweed mitogen (PWM) were measured in the presence of exogenous insulin added in physiologic increments of 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 .mu.U of activity per ml of culture medium. A modified method utilizing heparinized whole blood was used. After a 4 day incubation period, 3H-TdR [thymidine deoxyribose] uptake was evaluated and used as the index of stimulation. A standard pooled z test for comparison of 3H-TdR uptake showed a decrease in blast transformation of diabetic lymphocytes compared to nondiabetic lymphocytes to the mitogens PHA-P (P < 0.01), CON-A (P < 0.01), and PWM (P < 0.01). Added insulin increased the diabetic lymphocyte blast transformation response to each of the mitogens. Blast transformation in diabetics never reached the level of blast transformation in nondiabetics. There may be a cellular defect in either membrane receptors or intracellular metabolic pathways which accounts for the decrease in diabetic lymphocyte blast transformation.