Abstract

OBJECTIVES
Previous study had shown that nicotine acts on blood glucose through release of adrenaline. While there are reports on the hyperglyceic effect of adrenaline in rabbits, there is no information on the effect of adrenaline on intestinal glucose uptake of rabbits. The present study was carried out to find out if adrenaline has any effect on glucose uptake in the rabbit small intestine.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Experiments were carried out on fasted anaesthetized male rabbits. Five groups of rabbits (6 rabbits per group) were studied. A vein draining a segment of the upper jejunum was cannulated for blood flow and venous glucose measurements. The left femoral artery and vein were cannulated for arterial blood sampling and drug infusion respectively. Glucose uptake was calculated as a product of jejunal blood flow and the glucose difference between arterial (A) and venous (V) blood.
RESULTS
The fasting venous blood glucose levels were 151.8 +/- 4.4mg/dl and 164.0 + 2.3mg/dl in Groups I and V that were not given adrenoceptor blockers. The upper jejunum had a resting (or basal) glucose uptake of 38.3 +/- 1.6mg/min in the control group. When adrenaline (2ug/kg) was injected intravenously, arterial blood glucose rose from a basal value of 245.5 +/- 4.6mg/dl to 307.5+4.7mg/dl at the peak of response while venous glucose rose from 151.8+4.4mg/dl to 275.8 +/- 4.2mg/dl at the peak of response. Glucose uptake increased to 107.4 +/- 2.5mg/ min at the peak of response. The hyperglycaemic response to adrenaline injection was abolished by propranolol but not by prazosin indicating that this effect of adrenaline is mediated through beta adrenoceptor. Both prazosin and propranolol reduced considerably adrenaline-induced increase in blood flow and glucose uptake, prazosin being more potent in flow reduction.
CONCLUSION
This study showed that the resting small intestine of rabbits took up large amounts of glucose. The intestinal glucose uptake was markedly increased by adrenaline injection. The response to adrenaline was mediated through alpha and beta adrenoceptors. The responses to adrenaline are different in many respects from those induced by nicotine in rabbits in our earlier study. The reason for the differences is obscure.

Authors

Oyebola DD, Taiwo EO, Idolor GO, Alada AR, Owoeye O, Isehunwa GO

Institution

Department of Physiology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.

Source

African journal of medicine and medical sciences 40:3 2011 Sep pg 225-33

MeSH

Adrenergic alpha-1 Receptor Antagonists
Adrenergic beta-Antagonists
Animals
Epinephrine
Glucose
Hindlimb
Injections, Intravenous
Intestine, Small
Male
Nicotine
Prazosin
Propranolol
Rabbits

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Language

eng

PubMed ID

22428517