Diabetes: Pancreas Transplantation Normalises Protein Metabolism

June 2, 2001

URL:

Acta Diabetologica 2000;37:219-224. " Postabsorptive muscle protein

metabolism in type 1 diabetic patients after pancreas transplantation "

05/30/2001 08:02:44 AM

By Mark Greener

Pancreas transplants normalise basal and insulin-stimulated protein

metabolism in type 1 diabetes.

Insulin inhibits proteolysis, which is largely responsible for the

induction of protein anabolism among patients taking the hormone.

Moreover, pancreas transplants induce peripheral hyperinsulinemia.

Researchers from San Raffaele Scientific Institute, University of Milan,

Italy, assessed the effect of pancreas transplantation on

post-absorptive muscle protein metabolism.

The authors enrolled nine patients with type 1 diabetes maintained on

exogenous insulin, four people with type 1 diabetes who underwent

successful pancreas transplantation and six healthy controls.

Researchers used infusions of labelled leucine and phenylalanine to

quantify whole-body and muscle protein synthesis, respectively, in the

postabsorptive state.

Whole-body protein synthesis was similar in controls and among those

patients who received a pancreas transplant. In contrast, the authors

commented, muscle protein synthesis tended to be less negative in those

who received a transplant compared to either those with type 1 diabetes

or healthy controls.

Moreover, in patients with type I diabetes who received acute insulin

infusions while maintaining euglycemia, whole-body and muscle protein

synthesis rates were approximately half those in controls irrespective

of whether they received a pancreas transplant.

The authors interpret the findings as suggesting that peripheral insulin

delivery and chronic hyperinsulinemia preferentially stimulate protein

synthesis in muscle rather than splanchnically.

The authors conclude that pancreas transplantation normalizes basal and

insulin-stimulated protein metabolism.

The research also suggests that chronic hyperinsulinemia counteracts

protein degradation stimulated by steroids by a mild, persistent

stimulation of muscle protein synthesis.

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