Abstract
The peripheral vein insulin concentrations have been widely used as an index of pancreatic insulin secretion. However, peripheral insulin levels may not accurately reflect pancreatic secretion, since insulin is secreted into the portal system and must pass through the liver before reaching the periphery.
In order to observe newly secreted insulin from the pancreas, insulin secretory rate was studied by using an insulin disappearance rate which was previously reported. 0.5gm per kg of glucose was injected into five healthy and three adult-onset diabetic subjects.
Biphasic insulin secretory response after glucose injection was confirmed in healthy and diabetic subjects. In healthy subjects, insulin secretory rate in first phase was 58.3μu/ml/min. and that in second phase was 32.8μu/ml/min. In diabetic subjects, the first and the second phase of insulin secretory rate was significantly lower than in healthy subjects.
It would be clinically useful to analyse the peripheral insulin concentrations following glucose injection.
