I. Conget et al., SAM PREVENTS IMPAIRMENT OF GLUCOSE-STIMULATED INSULIN-SECRETION CAUSED BY HEXOSE DEPRIVATION OR STARVATION, American journal of physiology: endocrinology and metabolism, 31(4), 1995, pp. 580-587
Succinic acid monomethyl ester (SAM) was recently proposed as an insul
inotropic tool in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Three model
s were now used to investigate whether SAM protects the B-cell against
the impairment of glucose-stimulated insulin release caused by either
glucose deprivation or starvation. In the first model, preincubation
of the islets for 180 min at low glucose concentration in the presence
of SAM prevented the decrease in the secretory response to D-glucose
otherwise observed during a subsequent incubation. In the second model
, an impaired secretory response to D-glucose was observed after 3-day
culture at low (2.8 or 5.6 mM) as distinct from high (11.1 mM) hexose
concentration and the presence of SAM in the culture medium again pro
tected against this anomaly. In the third model, the infusion of SAM f
or 3 days to starved rats restored the secretory potential of isolated
islets to a level comparable to that otherwise found in fed rats. Thu
s, during glucose deprivation or starvation, SAM is indeed able to mai
ntain B-cell responsiveness to D-glucose.