Gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) dose-dependently stimulates glucagon secretion in healthy human subjects at euglycaemia

J J Meier, B Gallwitz, N Siepmann, Jens Juul Holst, C F Deacon, W E Schmidt, M A Nauck

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

282 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: In the isolated perfused pancreas, gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) has been shown to enhance glucagon secretion at basal glucose concentrations, but in healthy humans no glucagonotropic effect of GIP has yet been reported. Therefore, we studied the effect of GIP on glucagon secretion under normoglycaemic conditions.

METHODS: Ten healthy subjects (9 men, 1 woman; age 33+/-11; BMI 26.8+/-2.2 kg/m(2)) received three different doses of intravenous GIP (7, 20, and 60 pmol/kg body weight) and placebo. Venous blood samples were drawn over 30 min for glucagon and GIP concentrations (specific radioimmunoassays). In addition, 31 healthy subjects (16 men, 15 women; 42+/-11 years; BMI 24.4+/-2.7 kg/m(2)) were studied with 20 pmol GIP/kg. Statistics were done with RM-ANOVA and Duncan's post hoc tests.

RESULTS: Gastric inhibitory polypeptide dose-dependently stimulated glucagon secretion ( p=0.019) with a maximal increment after 10 min. Incremental glucagon concentrations (Delta(10-0 min)) were 0.1+/-0.7, 1.4+/-0.5, 2.4+/-0.5, and 3.4+/-0.8 pmol/l (for placebo and for 7, 20, and 60 pmol GIP/kg, respectively; p=0.017). After the injection of 20 pmol GIP/kg b.w. in 31 healthy subjects, glucagon concentrations increased over the baseline from 7.5+/-0.5 to 9.3+/-0.7 pmol/l ( p=0.0082).

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Glucagon secretion is dose-dependently stimulated by GIP at basal glucose concentrations. The absence of a glucagonotropic GIP effect in previous studies could be due to the hyperglycaemic conditions used in these experiments. Our results underline differences between GIP and the glucagonostatic incretin GLP-1.

Original languageEnglish
JournalDiabetologia
Volume46
Issue number6
Pages (from-to)798-801
Number of pages4
ISSN0012-186X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2003

Keywords

  • Blood Glucose
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Gastric Inhibitory Polypeptide
  • Glucagon
  • Glucose Tolerance Test
  • Humans
  • Injections, Intravenous
  • Peptide Fragments
  • Reference Values

Cite this