Desensitization of the pancreatic β-cell: effects of sustained physiological hyperglycemia and potassium

The impact of modest but prolonged (3 h) exposure to high physiological glucose concentrations and hyperkalemia on the insulin secretory and phospholipase C (PLC) responses of rat pancreatic islets was determined. In acute studies, glucose (5–20 mM) caused a dose-dependent increase in secretion with maximal release rates 25-fold above basal secretion. When measured after 3 h of exposure to 5–10 mM glucose, subsequent stimulation of islets with 10–20 mM glucose during a dynamic perifusion resulted in dose-dependent decrements in secretion and PLC activation. Acute hyperkalemia (15–30 mM) stimulated calcium-dependent increases in both insulin secretion and PLC activation; however, prolonged hyperkalemia resulted in a biochemical and secretory lesion similar to that induced by sustained modest hyperglycemia. Glucose- (8 mM) desensitized islets retained significant sensitivity to stimulation by either carbachol or glucagon-like peptide-1. These findings emphasize the vulnerability of the β-cell to even modera...