Search Results

Viscum album (mistletoe) has been documented as a traditional treatment of diabetes. In acute 20-min tests, 1-10 mg/ml aqueous extract of mistletoe evoked a stepwise 1.1- to 12.2-fold stimulation of insulin secretion from clonal pancreatic B-cells. This effect was abolished by 0.5 mM diazoxide and prior exposure to extract did not alter subsequent stimulation of insulin secretion induced by 10 mM L-alanine, thereby negating a detrimental effect on cell viability. The insulin-releasing effect of mistletoe extract was unaltered by 16.7 mM glucose, l-alanine (10 mM), 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) (1 mM), or a depolarising concentration of KCl (25 mM). The ability of extract to enhance insulin secretion did not depend upon the use of heat during extract preparation and was not mediated by lectins. These results demonstrate the presence of insulin-releasing natural product(s) in Viscum album which may contribute to the reported antidiabetic property of the plant.

Agaricus campestris (mushroom) has been documented as a traditional treatment for diabetes. Here the administration of mushroom in the diet (62.5 g/kg) and drinking water (2.5 g/l) countered the hyperglycaemia of streptozotocin-diabetic mice. An aqueous extract of mushroom (1 mg/ml) stimulated 2-deoxyglucose transport (2.0-fold), glucose oxidation (1.5-fold) and incorporation of glucose into glycogen (1.8-fold) in mouse abdominal muscle. In acute 20 min tests, 0.25-1 mg/ml aqueous extract of mushroom evoked a stepwise 3.5- to 4.6-fold stimulation of insulin secretion from the BRIN-BD11 pancreatic B-cell line. This effect was abolished by 0.5 mM diazoxide and prior exposure to extract did not affect subsequent stimulation of insulin secretion by 10 mM L-alanine, thereby negating a detrimental effect on cell viability. The effect of extract was potentiated by 16.7 mM glucose, L-alanine (10 mM) and IBMX (1 mM), and a depolarising concentration of KCl (25 mM) did not augment the insulin-releasing activity of mushroom. Activity of the extract was found to be heat stable, acetone soluble and unaltered by exposure to alkali, but decreased with exposure to acid. Dialysis to remove components with molecular mass < 2000 Da caused a 40% reduction in activity. Sequential extraction with solvents revealed insulin-releasing activity to be greatest in polar fractions. Lack of haemagglutinin activity with extract activity indicated that activity was unlikely to be due to a lectin-mediated event. These results demonstrate the presence of antihyperglycaemic, insulin-releasing and insulin-like activity in A. campestris.

This study investigates the effects of gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) and glycated GIP (glucitol adduct of GIP) on glucose uptake and metabolism in muscle. Glycated GIP (molecular mass 5147.2 Da) was purified by HPLC following in vitro incubation under hyperglycaemic reducing conditions (24 h at pH 7.4). GIP (10(-10)-10(-8) mol/l) significantly stimulated (1.4- to 1.5-fold, P < 0.001) 2-deoxy-D-[1-3H]glucose uptake in abdominal muscle pieces from 3- to 5-week-old lean mice compared with control incubations (without GIP). This stimulatory effect on glucose uptake at 10(-10)-10(-9) mol/l was decreased by 13-20% following glycation of the peptide (P < 0.05). GIP (10(-9) and 10(-8) mol/l) induced a stepwise 1.4- to 1.7-fold increase (P < 0.01, P < 0.001 respectively) in [14C]glucose oxidation compared with controls. This effect on glucose oxidation was diminished by 32% with 10(-8) mol/l glycated GIP (P < 0.05). GIP (10(-9) and 10(-8) mol/l) induced a 1.4- to 1.8-fold increase in [14C]glucose incorporation into muscle glycogen (glycogenesis) compared with controls. Glycated GIP (10(-8) mol/l) exhibited a 41% decrease in glycogenic activity (P < 0.01). GIP (10(-10)-10(-8) mol/l) stimulated lactate production in isolated abdominal muscle (1.2- to 1.3-fold, P < 0.05); however glycated GIP did not exert a significant effect. This study demonstrates for the first time that GIP promotes glucose uptake, glucose oxidation and glycogenesis in muscle tissue. Furthermore, modification of GIP through glycation diminishes its biological effectiveness.

Gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) is an important insulin-releasing hormone of the enteroinsular axis which is rapidly inactivated by the exopeptidase dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP) IV. The present study has examined the ability of Tyr(1)-glucitol GIP to be protected from plasma degradation and to enhance insulin-releasing and antihyperglycaemic activity in 20- to 25-week-old obese diabetic ob/ob mice. Degradation of GIP by incubation at 37 degrees C with obese mouse plasma was clearly evident after 3 h (35% degraded). After 6 h, more than 61% of GIP was converted to GIP(3-42) whereas N-terminally modified Tyr(1)-glucitol GIP was resistant to degradation in plasma (>99% intact after 6 h). The formation of GIP(3-42) was almost completely abolished by inhibition of plasma DPP IV with diprotin A. Effects of GIP and Tyr(1)-glucitol GIP were examined in overnight-fasted obese mice following i.p. injection of either peptide (20 nmol/kg) together with glucose (18 mmol/kg) or in association with feeding. Most prominent effects were observed in the former group where plasma glucose values at 60 min together with the area under the curve (AUC) for glucose were significantly lower following GIP (AUC, 874+/-72 mmol/l.min; P<0.01) or Tyr(1)-glucitol GIP (770+/-134 mmol/l.min; P<0.001) as compared with administration of glucose alone (1344+/-136 mmol/l.min). This was associated with a significantly greater and more protracted insulin response following Tyr(1)-glucitol GIP than GIP (AUC, 491+/-118 vs 180+/-33 ng/ml.min; P<0.05). Administration of Tyr(1)-glucitol GIP also enhanced the glucose-lowering ability of 50 units/kg insulin (218.4+/-30.2 vs insulin alone 133.9+/-16.2 mmol/l.min; P<0.05). These data demonstrate that Tyr(1)-glucitol GIP displays resistance to plasma DPP IV degradation in a commonly used animal model of type 2 diabetes, resulting in enhanced antihyperglycaemic activity and insulin-releasing action in vivo.

The incretin hormone glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) is rapidly degraded in the circulation by dipeptidyl peptidase IV forming the N-terminally truncated peptide GIP(3-42). The present study examined the biological activity of this abundant circulating fragment peptide to establish its possible role in GIP action. Human GIP and GIP(3-42) were synthesised by Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis, purified by HPLC and characterised by electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry. In GIP receptor-transfected Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts, GIP(3-42) dose dependently inhibited GIP-stimulated (10(-7) M) cAMP production (up to 75.4+/-5.4%; P<0.001). In BRIN-BD11 cells, GIP(3-42) was significantly less potent at stimulating insulin secretion (1.9- to 3.2-fold; P<0.001), compared with native GIP and significantly inhibited GIP-stimulated (10(-7) M) insulin secretion with maximal inhibition (48.8+/-6.2%; P<0.001) observed at 10(-7) M. In (ob/ob) mice, administration of GIP(3-42) significantly inhibited GIP-stimulated insulin release (2.1-fold decrease; P<0.001) and exaggerated the glycaemic excursion (1.4-fold; P<0.001) induced by a conjoint glucose load. These data indicate that the N-terminally truncated GIP(3-42) fragment acts as a GIP receptor antagonist, moderating the insulin secreting and metabolic actions of GIP in vivo.

Evidence has been published that L -alanine may, under appropriate conditions, promote insulin secretion in normal rodent islets and various beta cell lines. Previous results utilising the clonal beta-cell line BRIN-BD11, demonstrated that alanine dramatically elevated insulin release by a mechanism requiring oxidative metabolism. We demonstrate in this paper that addition ofL -alanine had an insulinotropic effect in dispersed primary islet cells. Addition of D -glucose increasedL -alanine consumption in both BRIN-BD11 cells and primary islet cells.L -glutamine consumption in the BRIN-BD11 cell line and primary rat islets was also determined. The consumption rate was in line with that previously reported for cells of the immune system and other glutamine-utilising cells or tIssues. However,L -alanine consumption was at least an order of magnitude higher thanL -glutamine consumption. The metabolism ofL -alanine in the beta-cell may result in stimulation of insulin secretion via generation of metabolic stimulus secretion coupling factors such asL -glutamate.

Previous studies have shown that glycation of insulin occurs in pancreatic beta-cells under conditions of hyperglycaemia and that the site of glycation is the N-terminal Phe(1) of the insulin B-chain. To enable evaluation of glycated insulin in diabetes, specific antibodies were raised in rabbits and guinea-pigs by using two synthetic peptides (A: Phe-Val-Asn-Gln-His-Leu-Cys-Tyr, and B: Phe-Val-Asn-Gln-His-Leu-Tyr-Lys) modified by N-terminal glycation and corresponding closely to the N-terminal sequence of the glycated human insulin B-chain. For immunization, the glycated peptides were conjugated either to keyhole limpet haemocyanin or ovalbumin using glutaraldehyde, m-maleimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester or 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylamino propyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride. Antibody titration curves, obtained using I(125)-tyrosylated tracer prepared from glycated peptide A, revealed high-titre antisera in five groups of animals immunized for 8-28 weeks. The highest titres were observed in rabbits and guinea-pigs immunized with peptide B coupled to ovalbumin using glutaraldehyde. Under radioimmunoassay conditions, these antisera exhibited effective dose (median) (ED(50)) values for glycated insulin of 0.3-15 ng/ml and 0.9-2.5 ng/ml respectively, with negligible cross-reactivity against insulin or other islet peptides. The degree of cross-reaction with glycated proinsulin was approximately 50%. Glycated insulin in plasma of control and hydrocortisone-treated diabetic rats measured using rabbit 3 antiserum (1:10 000 dilution; sensitivity <19 pg/ml) was 0. 08+/-0.01 and 1.5+/-0.6 ng/ml (P<0.01), corresponding to 4 and 16% of total circulating insulin concentration respectively. Immunocytochemistry studies of the pancreas of streptozotocin-treated diabetic rats using a 1:1000 dilution of guinea-pig 2 antiserum revealed clusters of fluorescent positively stained cells in islets. These studies document the successful production of polyclonal antisera specific for glycated insulin and their usefulness in radioimmunoassays and immunocytochemistry. The demonstration of glycated insulin in plasma and islets of animal models of diabetes supports the view that glycation of insulin is involved in the pathogenesis of this disease.

Few studies have comprehensively examined amphibian granular gland secretions for novel insulinotropic peptides. This study involved isolation and characterisation of biologically active peptides from the skin secretions of Rana palustris frogs. Crude secretions obtained by mild electrical stimulation from the dorsal skin surface were purified by reversed-phase HPLC on a semipreparative Vydac C18 column, yielding 80 fractions. These fractions were assayed for insulin-releasing activity using glucose-responsive BRIN-BD11 cells. Acute 20 min incubations were performed in Krebs Ringer bicarbonate buffer supplemented with 5.6 mmol/l glucose in the absence (control) and presence of various fractions. Fractions 29-54 and fractions 68-75 showed significant 2.0-6.5-fold increases in insulin-releasing activity (P<0.001). The fractions showing most prominent insulinotropic activity were further purified to single homogeneous peaks, which, on testing, evoked 1.5-2.8-fold increases in insulin release (P<0.001). The structures of the purified peptides were determined by mass spectrometry and N-terminal amino acid sequencing. Electrospray ionisation ion-trap mass spectrometry analysis revealed molecular masses of 2873.5-8560.4 Da. Sufficient material was isolated to determine the primary amino acid sequence of the 2873.5 Da peptide, revealing a 27 amino acid sequence, ALSILRGLEKLAKMGIALTNCKATKKC, repressing palustrin-1c. The database search for this peptide showed a 48% homology with brevinin-1, an antimicrobial peptide isolated from various Rana species, which itself stimulated insulin release from BRIN-BD11 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. In conclusion, the skin secretions of R. palustris frogs contain a novel class of peptides with insulin-releasing activity that merit further investigation.

The therapeutic potential of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) in improving glycaemic control in diabetes has been widely studied, but the potential beneficial effects of glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) have until recently been almost overlooked. One of the major problems, however, in exploiting either GIP or GLP-1 as potential therapeutic agents is their short duration of action, due to enzymatic degradation in vivo by dipeptidylpeptidase IV (DPP IV). Therefore, this study examined the plasma stability, biological activity and antidiabetic potential of two novel NH2-terminal Ala2-substituted analogues of GIP, containing glycine (Gly) or serine (Ser). Following incubation in plasma, (Ser2)GIP had a reduced hydrolysis rate compared with native GIP, while (Gly2)GIP was completely stable. In Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts stably transfected with the human GIP receptor, GIP, (Gly2)GIP and (Ser2)GIP stimulated cAMP production with EC(50) values of 18.2, 14.9 and 15.0 nM respectively. In the pancreatic BRIN-BD11 beta-cell line, (Gly2)GIP and (Ser2)GIP (10(-8) M) evoked significant increases (1.2- and 1.5-fold respectively; P<0.01 to P<0.001) in insulinotropic activity compared with GIP. In obese diabetic ob/ob mice, both analogues significantly lowered (P<0.001) the glycaemic excursion in response to i.p. glucose. This enhanced glucose-lowering ability was coupled to a significantly raised (P<0.01) and more protracted insulin response compared with GIP. These data indicate that substitution of the penultimate Ala2 in GIP by Gly or Ser confers resistance to plasma DPP IV degradation, resulting in enhanced biological activity, therefore raising the possibility of their use in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

There are conflicting reports on the effect of serum from patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or normal human serum on beta-cell function and insulin secretion. Here, we report that the sera of newly diagnosed IDDM patients potently suppresses insulin secretion from a clonal rat pancreatic beta-cell line (BRIN-BD11), but do not alter cell viability. Indeed, the viability of the beta-cells was not significantly different between cells cultured in 10% (v/v) IDDM sera, normal human sera, or fetal calf serum after 24, 48 and 72 h. Alanine-stimulated insulin secretion from cells cultured for 24 h in (10% v/v) IDDM patient sera was reduced to 48% of that secreted from cells cultured in (10% v/v) normal human sera. After depletion of the complement components C1q and C3, the inhibition of insulin secretion induced by IDDM patient sera was significantly reversed (no significant difference was observed between cells cultured in complement-depleted IDDM patient sera and cells cultured in normal human sera or complement-depleted normal human sera). The concentration of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) autoantibodies was markedly increased in the sera of six out of nine newly diagnosed IDDM patients in this study, whereas insulin auto-antibodies (IAA) were detected in the sera of three of the nine patients and islet-cell antibodies (ICA) in the sera of five of them. In addition, the concentration of soluble terminal complement complexes (SC5-9) was greater in some of the beta-cell culture media samples after 24 h incubation when the incubation medium was supplemented with IDDM patient sera than when supplementation was with normal human sera. We propose that the mechanism of sera-induced inhibition of insulin secretion from clonal beta-cells may involve complement- and cytokine-stimulated intracellular events that attenuate the metabolite-induced secretory process.