The effect of somatostatin on epinephrine-induced free fatty acid release in normal man.

Epinephrine and saline or cyclic somatostatin were infused into normal persons to study the effect of somatostatin on free fatty acid (FFA) release. Somatostatin had no effect on epinephrine-induced hyperglycaemia. It enhanced basal and epinephrine-induced FFA release, while the release of both immunoreactive insulin (IRI) and immunoreactive glucagon (IRG) was inhibited. We suggest that the rise in FFA levels may be due to either inhibition of IRI or another effect of somatostatin on fatty acid metabolism.