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Vacor inhibits insulin release from islets in vitro
H Taniguchi1, Y Yamashiro, M Y Chung
1Second Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University School of Medicine, Japan.
Journal of Endocrinological Investigation
|April 1, 1989
Summary
Vacor, a rodenticide, causes diabetes by suppressing glucose-stimulated insulin release from pancreatic islets. This effect may not involve cAMP or C-kinase pathways, suggesting a unique mechanism for Vacor-induced diabetes.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Toxicology
- Metabolic research
Background:
- Vacor (N-3-pyridylmethyl-N'-p-nitrophenyl urea) is a rodenticide linked to insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
- The precise mechanism behind Vacor-induced diabetes remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of Vacor on insulin release from isolated rat pancreatic islets.
- To elucidate the pathomechanism of Vacor-induced diabetes mellitus.
Main Methods:
- Isolated rat pancreatic islets were utilized to assess Vacor's impact on insulin secretion.
- Insulin release was measured under conditions of glucose stimulation and stimulation by theophylline or 12-o-tetra-decanoylphorbol 13-acetate.
Main Results:
- Vacor significantly suppressed glucose-stimulated insulin release.
- Vacor did not alter insulin release induced by theophylline or 12-o-tetra-decanoylphorbol 13-acetate.
Conclusions:
- Vacor's suppression of insulin release from pancreatic islets may contribute to its diabetogenic effects.
- The observed suppression of insulin release by Vacor appears independent of cAMP and C-kinase pathways.