Thyroxine treatment and insulin secretion in the rat

Thyroxine treatment increases blood glucose and plasma insulin levels in the rat. The hypoglycemic effect of tolbutamide is more pronounced in treated animals. The immediate insulin secretory response of the isolated perfused pancreas to maximal, but not to submaximal, glucose stimuli was increased after thyroxine treatment, especially in the lower dose range. However, as thyroxine treatment reduces insulin release during the prolonged late phase, the total amount of insulin released from the pancreas is reduced. Both the early response to tolbutamide and the subsequent basal secretion were increased after thyroxine treatment. When the pancreas of treated rats was exposed to glucose plus pyruvate the inhibition of the late phase was reversed. Isoprenaline did not overcome the inhibitory effect of thyroxine treatment on the late phase of glucose-induced insulin release. Thyroxine induces a selective inhibition of glucose induced insulin release which is reversed by pyruvate; this indicates that thyroxine interferes with the glycolysis in the beta cell.