Summary
The inhibitory effects of somatostatin on the release of insulin and glucagon, as well as its localization to the A1-cells (D-cells) of the pancreatic islets, suggest a role of this peptide in carbohydrate metabolism. In the present study we have measured the percentage islet volume, the total weight of the A1-cells and the somatostatin concentration in the pancreas of normal and spontaneously diabetic Chinese hamsters. In addition, the concentration of somatostatin in the stomach and hypothalamus as well as the insulin and glucagon content of the pancreas were evaluated. The percentage islet volume in the normal hamsters was 0.66±0.12, which was in marked excess of that in the diabetic group, 0.38±0.04. Similarly, the total weight of the A1-cells in the controls, 0.17±0.02 mg, was significantly larger than that in the diabetic animals, 0.12±0.02 mg. In agreement with these findings there was also a decreased pancreatic concentration of insulin and somatostatin, whereas the glucagon concentration was in the normal range. Also the stomach of the diabetic hamsters showed a decreased concentration of somatostatin. In the hypothalamus the total content of somatostatin appeared similar in the two groups of animals, but when expressed per mg wet weight this value was also decreased in the diabetic hamsters. These observations strongly suggest that, in the diabetic Chinese hamster, apart from the well-known B-cell deficiency there exists also a decreased functional activity of the somatostatin-producing cells.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Luft, R., Efendić, S., Hökfelt, T., Johansson, O., Arimura, A.: Immunohistochemical evidence for the localization of somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in a cell population of the pancreatic islets. Med. Biol.52, 428–430 (1974)
Polak, J.M., Pearse, A.G.E., Grimelius, L., Bloom, S.R., Arimura, A.: Growth-hormone release-inhibiting hormone in gastrointestinal and pancreatic D-cells. Lancet1975 I, 1220–1222
Hökfelt, T., Efendić, S., Hellerström, C., Johansson, O., Luft, R., Arimura, A.: Cellular localization of somatostatin in endocrine-like cells and neurons of the rat with special references to the A1-cells of the pancreatic islets and to the hypothalamus. Acta Endocrinol. [Suppl.] 200 (Kbh.)80, 1–41 (1975)
Dubois, M.P.: Immunoreactive somatostatin is present in discrete cells of the endocrine pancreas. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA72, 1340–1343 (1975)
Rufener, C., Dubois, M.P., Malaisse-Lagae, F., Orci, L.: Immunofluorescent reactivity to anti-somatostatin in the gastrointestinal mucosa of the dog. Diabetologia11, 321–324 (1975)
Efendic, S., Luft, R., Grill, V.: Effect of somatostatin on glucose induced insulin release in isolated perfused rat pancreas and isolated rat pancreatic islets. FEBS Lett.42, 169–172 (1974)
Sakurai, H., Dobbs, R., Unger, H.: Somatostatin-induced changes in insulin and glucagon secretion in normal and diabetic dogs. J. Clin. Invest.54, 1396–1402 (1974)
Bloom, S.R., Mortimer, C.H., Thorner, M.D., Besser, G.M., Hall, R., Gomez-Pan, A., Roy, V.M., Russel, R.C.G., Coy, D.H., Kastin, A.J., Schally, A.V.: Inhibition of gastrin and gastric-acid secretion by growth hormone release-inhibiting hormone. Lancet1974 II, 1106–1109
Orci, L., Baetens, D., Rufener, G., Amherdt, M., Ravazzola, M., Studrer, P., Malaisse-Lagae, F., Unger, R.: Réactivité de la cellule à somatostatine de l'ilot de Langerhans dans le diabète expérimental. C. R. Acad. Sci. [D.] (Paris)281, 1883–1885 (1975)
Patel, Y.C., Weir, G.C.: Increased somatostatin content of islets from streptozotocin-diabetic rats. Clin. Endocrinol.5, 191–194 (1976)
Hjelm, M., de Verdier, C.H.: A methodological study of the enzymatic determination of glucose in blood. Scand. J. Clin. Lab. Invest.15, 415–428 (1963)
Hellerström, C., Hellman, B.: Some aspects of silver impregnation of the islets of Langerhans in the rat. Acta Endocrinol. (Kbh.)35, 518–532 (1960)
Bencosme, S.A.: Studies on the methods of staining the islet cells of the pancreas. Arch. Pathol.53, 87–97 (1952)
Chalkley, H.W.: Method for the quantitative morphologic analysis of tissues. J. Natl. Cancer Inst.4, 47–53 (1943)
Thorell, J.I., Johansson, B.G.: Enzymatic iodination of polypeptides with125I to high specific activity. Biochim. Biophys. Acta251, 363–369 (1971)
Arimura, A., Sato, H., Coy, D.H., Schally, A.V.: Radioimmunoassay for GH-release inhibiting hormone. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med.148, 784–789 (1975)
Herberts, V., Lau, K.S., Gottlieb, C.W., Bleicher, S.J.: Coated charcoal immunoassay of insulin. J. Clin. Endocrinol.25, 1375–1384 (1964)
Carpenter, A.M., Gerritsen, G.C., Dulin, W.E., Lazarow, A.: Islet and beta cell volumes in diabetic Chinese hamsters and their non-diabetic siblings. Diabetologia3, 92–96 (1967)
Carpenter, A.M., Gerritsen, G.G., Dulin, W.E., Lazarow, A.: Islet and beta cell volumes in offspring of severely diabetic (ketotic) Chinese hamsters. Diabetologia6, 168–176 (1970)
Like, A.A., Gerritsen, G.G., Dulin, W.E., Geaudreau, P.: Studies in the diabetic Chinese hamster: Electron microscopy of pancreatic islets. Diabetologia10, 509–520 (1974)
Luse, S.A., Caramia, F., Gerritsen, G., Dulin, W.E.: Spontaneous diabetes mellitus in the Chinese hamster: An electron microscopic study of the islets of Langerhans. Diabetologia3, 97–108 (1967)
Orci, L., Stauffacher, W., Dulin, W.E., Renold, A.E., Rouiller, Ch.: Ultrastructural changes in A-cells exposed to diabetic hyperglycemia. Observations made on pancreas of Chinese hamsters. Diabetologia6, 199–206 (1970)
Grodsky, G.M., Frankel, B.J., Gerich, J.E., Gerritsen, G.G.: The diabetic Chinese hamster: In vitro insulin and glucagon release; the “chemical diabetic”; and the effect of diet on ketonuria. Diabetologia10, 521–528 (1974)
Hellman, B., Petersson, B.: Long-term changes of the A1- and A2-cells in the islets of Langerhans of rats with alloxan diabetes. Endocrinology72, 238–242 (1963)
Arimura, A., Sato, H., Dupont, A., Nishi, N., Shally, A.V.: Somatostatin: Abundance of immunoreactive hormone in rat stomach and pancreas. Science189, 1007–1009 (1975)
Erlandsen, S.L., Hegre, O., Parsons, J.A., McEvoy, R.C., Elde, R.P.: Pancreatic islet cell hormones, distribution of cell types in the islet and evidence for the presence of somatostatin and gastrin within the D-cell. J. Histochem. Cytochem.24, 883–897 (1976)
Sasaki, H., Rubalcava, B., Baetens, D., Blazquez, E., Srikant, G B., Orci, L., Unger, R.H.: Identification of glucagon in the gastrointestinal tract. J. Clin. Invest.56, 135–145 (1975)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Petersson, B., Elde, R., Efendić, S. et al. Somatostatin in the pancreas, stomach and hypothalamus of the diabetic Chinese hamster. Diabetologia 13, 463–466 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01234497
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01234497