How rapidly do hyperinsulinaemia and hyperglucagonaemia develop after portacaval shunting?

Elevation of serum insulin and plasma glucagon have been reported during and immediately after clinical and experimental liver transplantation and in patients with cirrhosis and surgically created or spontaneous portacaval shunts. There is controversy about the relative roles of portal diversion and impaired liver function in the genesis of these elevated levels of pancreatic hormones. End-to-side portacaval shunt was made in normal pigs which were fitted with catheters which allowed transhepatic sampling during and for 4 hr after the operation. Within 5 min of opening the shunt, there was a sixfold increase in portal venous insulin concentrations but hepatic clearance of insulin and the arterial concentration were unaltered. The increase in insulin was sustained for 2 hr. A twofold increase occurred within 1 hr in portal venous glucagon concentration which appeared to be predominantly of pancreatic origin and which continued for the 4 hr of the study. Hepatic glucose uptake did not occur after portacaval shunting despite levels of glucose elevated two-fold by iv infusion. There were no changes in aspartate aminotransferase, hepatic tissue energy charge, or total adenine nucleotides, suggesting that hepatic function was intact. It is concluded that portal diversion results in an increase in insulin and glucagon secretion and in the absence of hepatic uptake of glucose. This is a novel observation with relevance especially in liver transplantation when portal diversion for at least 1 hr forms part of the procedure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)