Abstract
In the unstable type of diabetes, it has been reported that the secretion of insulin as judged from serum CPR determinations is characteristically low in both 100 g OGTT and arginine infusion tests. In order to study the relationship between the insulin and C-peptide contents diabetic pancreas and the stability of fasting blood sugar (FBS) levels before death, a diabetic pancreases were analysed for insulin and C-peptide by a gel filtration technique using acid alcohol extracts of pancreas. As the inbex of the degree of instability of the FBS levels, during 6 months prior to death was adopted. The results obtained may be summarized as follows.
1) The mean contents of diabetic pancreatic insulin and C-peptide were 0.72±0.21 U/g and 7.39±1.91 μg/g, respectively. These values were significantly low compared to those of nondiabetics.
2) In 6 well or fairly well controlled diabetics whose standard deviations for FBS were less than 59 mg/dl, the pancreatic insulin and C-peptide contents were 1.07±0.19 U/g and 10.90±1.12 μg/g, respectively.
3) In 3 unstable diabetics whose standard deviations for FBS exceeded 98 mg/dl, the contents of pancreatic insulin and C-peptide were very low (insulin content, 0.02±0 U/g, C-peptide content, 0.34±0.33μg/g).
4) In 3 unstable diabetics, the fasting CPR values were below the assay limit. These findings suggest that the main reason for instability of blood sugar levels in diabetes may be related to the devastation of pancreatic B cells.
