Diabetes, Vol 34, Issue 11 1168-1173, Copyright © 1985 by American Diabetes Association
The nature of insulin secretory defect in aging rats
B Draznin, JP Steinberg, JW Leitner and KE Sussman
We have attempted to define the nature of insulin secretory defect(s) in
aged animals. In these studies, pancreatic islets were isolated from 2- and
18-mo-old Fischer 344 rats. Margination of secretion vesicles during
exocytosis was assessed by measuring the recruitment of somatostatin (SRIF)
receptors to the surface membrane. Section vesicle lysis was studied by
measuring insulin release into the incubation media. Submaximal and maximal
glucose-induced insulin secretion was significantly greater in islets
isolated from younger rats (P less than 0.01). SRIF receptor recruitment
was stimulated by glucose in both younger and older Fischer 344 rats.
However, an increase in SRIF receptor recruitment was reduced in islets
isolated from older animals (from 2.14 +/- 0.4 to 4.6 +/- 0.4 fmol/10
islets) (P less than 0.01) as compared with islets from younger animals
(from 2.6 +/- 0.2 to 6.2 +/- 0.4 fmol/10 islets). When secretion vesicle
lysis was inhibited by the presence of sodium isethionate in the incubation
media, glucose (300 mg/dl) failed to stimulate secretion vesicle
margination to the plasma membrane. In contrast, glyburide (0.6
micrograms/ml) continued to stimulate directly secretion vesicle
margination in islets from aged animals (from 2.1 +/- 0.3 to 6.0 +/- 0.3
fmol/10 islets). We conclude that glucose-induced margination of secretion
vesicles at the plasma membrane is impaired by the aging process. This
impairment results in lower submaximal and maximal insulin secretory
response to glucose. The fact that glyburide is capable of stimulating
secretion vesicle margination suggests that glucose signal recognition
and/or stimulus-secretion coupling may be the locus of impairment in the
process of insulin secretion in older animals.