Summary
Kidney function was studied in nine, metabolically well controlled, short-term insulin-dependent male diabetics before and during glucagon infusion of 4 to 5 and 8 to 10 ng/kg/min. Glomerular filtration rate, effective renal plasma flow (steadystate infusion technique, with urinary collections, using 125I-iothalamate and 131I-iodohippurate), and urinary albumin and β 2-microglobulin excretion rates were measured. The mean plasma glucagon concentration increased during infusion from 254±19 pg/ ml to 440±31 pg/ml (low dose) and 730±52 pg/ml (high dose). Glomerular filtration rate increased in all subjects from 133±5 before the glucagon infusion to 141±4 with the low dose, and 148±7 ml/min/1.73 m2 with the high dose (p<0.01). The increase in glomerular filtration rate correlated with the rise in plasma glucagon concentration (r=0.67; p<0.01). Renal plasma flow increased from 530 ±21 before the glucagon infusion to 555±20 with the low dose and 572±29 ml/min/1.73 m2 with the high dose (p<0.01). Urinary β 2-microglobulin excretion rate rose from 5.8±1.0 before infusion to 8.7±1.7 with the low dose, and 17.9±5.7 μg X 10-2/min with the high dose (p<0.01). Urinary albumin excretion remained unchanged during the glucagon infusion. These results suggest that glucagon may contribute to the reversible elevation of glomerular filtration rate typically found in poorly regulated insulin-dependent diabetics, but not to the moderate elevation found in well controlled diabetics.
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Parving, H.H., Christiansen, J.S., Noer, I. et al. The effect of glucagon infusion on kidney function in short-term insulin-dependent juvenile diabetics. Diabetologia 19, 350–354 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00280519
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00280519