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Updated: Aug 14, 2026

A Method for Mouse Pancreatic Islet Isolation and Intracellular cAMP Determination
Published on: June 25, 2014
Testosterone rapidly stimulates insulin release from isolated pancreatic islets through a non-genomic dependent
M L Grillo1, A P Jacobus, R Scalco
1Departamento de Fisiologia, ICBS, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Abstract:
The action of testosterone on the 45Ca2+ uptake and insulin secretion was studied in short-term experiments using isolated pancreatic islets of Langerhans. Testosterone (1 microM) stimulated 45Ca2+ uptake within 60 seconds of incubation on similar proportion than tolbutamide. Also, the hormone rapidly increased insulin release (34%; 180 seconds) on the presence of non-stimulatory concentrations of glucose (3 mM). Impermeant testosterone-BSA significantly stimulated the secretion of insulin to a lower percentage (10%). The action of the hormone is specific--neither 17beta-E2 nor progesterone stimulated insulin secretion in the presence of 3 mM glucose. The action of testosterone on insulin secretion was dose-dependent, and at rat plasma physiological concentrations (25 nM), stimulus was 17% (p < 0.05). In conclusion, in isolated pancreatic islets experiments, physiological concentration of testosterone rapidly stimulate insulin secretion and 45Ca2+ uptake through a membrane bound mechanism.
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