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Hormonal and Metabolic Effects of Near Physiological Increase of Plasma Immunoreactive Somatostatin 14^*

Inserm Unité 197, Laboratoire de Médecine Expérimental (J.C.S., J.P.R., M.B., R.M.), Faculté de Médecine A. Carrel, 69008 Lyon, France; Inserm Unité 45, Hôpital Edouard Herriot (R.R., J.A.C.), 69003 Lyon, France; and Service de Radioanalyse et de Radiopharmacie (R.C.), Centre de Médecine Nucléaire, 59, Boulevard Pinel, 69003 Lyon, France

Address requests for reprints to: Dr. J. C. Souquet, Inserm Unite 197, Laboratoire de Medecine Experimental, Faculte de Medecine A. Carrel, 69008 Lyon, France.

The possibility that somatostatin 14 (SRIF) may exert true endocrine actions in man was tested by investigating the hormonal and metabolic effects of the peptide infused for 80 min at rates of 36.5, 73, and 146 pmol kg^–1 h^–1 in six healthy subjects who fasted overnight. These three doses increased the level of plasma SRIF-like immunoreactivity in the range of concentrations recorded postprandially with the same assay system. These low SRIF infusion rates decreased insulinemia and to a lesser extent glucagonemia, and increased glucosemia and ketonemia. Both the reduction of insulin and the increase of glucosemia were significantly related to the increase of plasma SRIF-like immunoreactivity. All parameters returned to control values upon discontinuing the peptide infusion. This study suggests that SRIF may have an endocrine role in man and that such low dose, short time SRIF infusions could exert metabolic effects different from those of larger, probably pharmacological, infusion rates. (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 56: 1076, 1983)

^* This work was supported by a grant from University C Bernard (to J.P.R.) and by Contrat de recherche libre Inserm No. 79 5 4537 (to J.A.C.).

Received May 7, 1982.