The use of tolbutamide-induced hypoglycemia to examine the intraislet role of insulin in mediating glucagon release in normal humans

Disruption of intraislet mechanisms could account for the impaired glucagon response to hypoglycemia in type 1 diabetes. However, in contrast to animals, there is conflicting evidence that such mechanisms operate in humans. We have used i.v. tolbutamide (T) (1.7 g bolus + 130 mg/h infusion) to create high portal insulin concentrations and compared this with equivalent hypoglycemia using an i.v. insulin infusion (I) (30 mU/m2 x min). Ten normal subjects underwent two hypoglycemic clamps; mean glucose; I (53 +/- 1 mg/dL); and T (53 +/- 1 mg/dL) (2.9 +/- 0.04 mmol/L vs. 2.9 +/- 0.05 mmol/L), held for 30 min. During hypoglycemia, mean peripheral insulin levels were greater with I (59 +/- 4 mU/L) than T (18 +/- 3 mU/L), P < 0.001. Calculated peak portal insulin concentrations were greater during T (282 +/- 28 mU/L) than I (78 +/- 4 mU/L), P < 0.00005. The demonstration of a reduced glucagon response during T-induced hypoglycemia (111 +/- 8 ng/L vs. 135 +/- 12 ng/L, P < 0.05) with higher portal insulin concentrations suggests that intraislet mechanisms may contribute to the release of glucagon during hypoglycemia in man.