Effect of ethanol and its metabolites on glucose mediated insulin release from isolated islets of rats.

Effects of ethanol and its metabolites, acetaldehyde and acetate, on insulin secretion were studied in isolated islets from normal rats. Addition of ethanol to the incubation media inhibited glucose mediated insulin release in a dose related manner. Prior exposure of islets to ethanol during the preincubation period had no influence on subsequent insulin response to either glucose or glucose plus ethanol. Acetaldehyde inhibited while sodium acetate potentiated insulin response to glucose. It is concluded that ethanol has a direct inhibitory effect on glucose mediated insulin release from rat islets.