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Elevated Somatostatin in Pancreatic Islets of Adrenalectomized Dogs^*

Departments of Physiology and Medicine and Surgery, University of Toronto Toronto, Canada, M5G 1L7
Department of Endocrinology Karolinska Sjukhuset 10401, Stockholm 60, Sweden

Address correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. M. Vranic, Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Medical Sciences Building, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8 Canada.

Abstract

We have observed both hyperglucagonemia and hypoinsulinemia in adrenalectomized (Adx) dogs. To determine whether these hormonal alterations are related to changes in distribution of islet hormones in the pancreas, we examined the concentration and total mass of insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin in the head, body, and tail of the pancreas by immunoassay and immunocytochemistry. We studied 6 normal dogs, 5 Adx dogs deprived of cortisol for 24 h (Adx I) and 5 for 48–72 h (Adx II). In normal dogs, single and double immunocytochemical staining showed that, in contrast to some other species, B (insulin) cells are mostly in the central region of islet, whereas A (glucagon) and D (somatostatin) cell are distributed randomly. This topographic distribution was not altered by adrenalectomy. In normal dogs, insulin concentration (micrograms per g) and total mass (micrograms) were higher in the tail (174 ± 22, 2001 ± 396) and body (165 ± 22, 2850 ± 600) than in the head (91 ± 17, 668 ± 156) of pancreas. Glucagon concentration (micrograms per g) and total mass (micrograms) were 17 ± 2, 178 ± 17 in the tail; 9.5 ± 2,158 ± 32 in the body, and negligible (0.78 ± 0.32, 7 ± 3) in the head, whereas somatostatin concentration (micrograms per g) and total mass (micrograms) were 0.58 ± 0.26, 4.20 ± 1.5 in the T, 0.23 ± 0.10, 3.9 ± 1.6 in the B, and 0.22 ± 0.05, 1.8 ± 0.6 in the H. The striking finding was that adrenalectomy caused large increases in somatostatin in all three regions of pancreas in both Adx I and Adx II. The total mass of somatostatin in Adx I and Adx II increased 4-fold in the tail (P < 0.02-0.005), 5-fold in the body (P < 0.01–0.001), and 7-9-fold in the head (P < 0.05-0.005) and concentration increased 6-fold in the body (P < 0.005) and 7- to 8-fold in the head (P < 0.01-0.001). There were no significant changes in the content of insulin and glucagon after adrenalectomy. Plasma concentration of glucagon increased by 50% in Adx I (P < 0.005) and 70% in Adx II (P < 0.02), insulin decreased by 39% (P < 0.005), 23% (NS), respectively, and somatostatin increased by 258% (P < 0.001) in Adx II. Thus the adrenal glands appear to play an important role in regulation of the content of somatostatin in pancreatic islets. (Endocrinology 120: 544–548, 1987)

Footnotes

^* This research was supported by the Medical Research Councils of Canada and Sweden and the Canadian Diabetic Association.

Received January 15, 1986.