Summary
The effect of propranolol on adrenaline- and insulin-induced changes in blood glucose pyruvate, lactate, phosphorus and potassium were examined in 29 apparently healthy volunteers. A slight, but significant reduction in adrenaline-induced hyperglycaemia was noted, along with suppression of both the increase in pyruvate and lactate and the decrease in phosphorus and potassium attributable to this catecholamine. There was no significant change in the blood glucose curve after insulin whereas insulin-induced increases in pyruvate and lactate were reduced by 44%±17.7 (mean±SEM) and 78%±5.4 respectively, and the fall in phosphorus by 48%±3.1; the decrease in potassium, however, was not significantly modified. These findings suggest that changes in plasma pyruvate, lactate and inorganic phosphates induced by insulin, and regarded as espressions of its peripheral metabolism, are greatly dependent on the β-adrenergic effect of the endogenous catecholamines released during the time when blood glucose values are low.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abramson E. A., Arky R. A.: Role of Beta-Adrenergic Receptors in Counterregulation to Insulin-Induced Hypoglycemia — Diabetes17, 141, 1968.
Allan F. N., Dickson B. R., Markowitz J.: The Relationship of Phosphate and Carbohydrate Metabolism. II. The Effect of Adrenaline and Phloridrin on the Excretion of Phosphate — Amer. J. Physiol.70, 333, 1924.
Antonis A., Clark M. L., Hodge R. L., Malony M., Pilkington T. R. E.: Receptor Mechanisms in the Hyperglycaemic Response to Adrenaline in Man — Lancet1, 1135, 1967.
Assaykeen T. A., Clayton P. L., Goldfien A., Ganong W. F.: The Effect of Alpha- and Beta-Adrenergic Blocking Agents on the Renin Response to Hypoglycemia and Epinephrine in Dogs — Endocrinology87, 1318, 1970.
Blackard W. G., Heidingsfelder S. A.: Adrenergic Receptor Control Mechanism for Growth Hormone Secretion — J. clin. Invest.47, 1407, 1968.
Blackard W. G., Hubbell G. J.: Stimulatory Effect of Exogenous Catecholamines on Plasma HGH Concentrations in Presence of Beta Adrenergic Blockade — Metabolism19, 547, 1970.
Bolliger A., Hartman F. W.: Observations on Blood Phosphates as Related to Carbohydrate Metabolism — J. biol. Chem.64, 91, 1925.
Bonn J. A., Harrison J.: Effect of Propranolol in Lactate-Induced Hypophosphataemia in Man — Clin. Sci.40, 171, 1971.
Brewer G.: Role of the Liver in Depression of Plasma Potassium Level by Epinephrine — Proc. Soc. exp. Biol. (N. Y.)45, 266, 1939.
Castro-Tavares J., Garrett J.: The Role of Skeletal Muscle in the Biphasic Response of Plasma Potassium to Epinephrine and Norepinephrine — Life Sci.12, 497, 1973.
Cheetham H. D.: The Action of Insulin on the Blood Potassium and Phosphate in Endocrine Disorders — Clin. Sci.24, 29, 1963.
Christensen N. J.: Plasma Norepinephrine and Epinephrine in Untreated Diabetes during Fasting and after Insulin Administration — Diabetes23, 1, 1974.
Cori C. F., Cori G. T.: The Influence of Epinephrine and Insulin Injections on the Hexosephosphate Content of Muscle — J. biol. Chem.94, 581, 1931.
D’Silva J. L.: The Action of Adrenaline on Serum Potassium — J. Physiol. (Lond.)86, 219, 1936.
Dury A.: Immediate Effects of Epinephrine on Phospholipides Turnover and Lipide Partition in Plasma Liver and Aorta — Proc. Soc. exp. Biol. (N. Y.)89, 508, 1955.
Ellis S.: The Metabolic Effects of Epinephrine and Related Amines — Pharmacol. Rev.8, 485, 1956.
Fenn W. O.: Deposition of Potassium and Phosphate with Glycogen in Rat Livers — J. biol. Chem.128, 297, 1939.
Fiske C. M., Subbarow Y.: The Colorimetric Determination of Phosphorus — J. biol. Chem.46, 375, 1925.
French E. B., Kilpatrick R.: The Role of Adrenaline in Hypoglycaemic Reactions in Man — Clin. Sci.14, 639, 1955.
Ginzburg J., Paton A.: Effects of Insulin after Adrenalectomy — Lancet2, 491, 1956.
Goldfien A., Moore R., Zileli S., Havens L. L., Boling L., Thorn G. W.: Plasma Epinephrine and Norepinephrine Levels during Insulin Induced Hypoglycemia in Man — J. clin. Endocr.21, 296, 1961.
Hevesy G., Dal Santo G.: Effect of Adrenaline on the Interaction between Plasma and Tissue Constituents — Acta physiol. scand.32, 339, 1954.
Hiatt N., Morgenstern L., Davidson M. B., Bonorris G., Miller A.: Role of Insulin in the Transfer of Infused Potassium to Tissue — Hormone metab. Res.5, 84, 1973.
Kipnis D. M., Helmreich E., Cori C. F.: Studies of Tissue Permeability. IV. The Distribution of Glucose between Plasma and Muscle — J. biol. Chem.234, 165, 1959.
Kotler M. N., Berman J., Rubenstein A. H.: Hypoglycaemia Precipitated by Propranolol — Lancet2, 1389, 1966.
Issekutz B. Jr., Allen M.: Effect of Catecholamines and Methylprednisolone on Carbohydrate Metabolism in Dogs — Metabolism21, 48, 1972.
Levine R.: The Action of Insulin at the Cell Membrane — Amer. J. Med.40, 691, 1966.
Levine R., Loube S., Weisberg H. F.: Nature of Action of Insulin on Level of Serum Inorganic Phosphate — Amer. J. Physiol.159, 107, 1949.
London D. R., Prenton M. A.: Beta-Adrenergic Receptors and the Plasma Aminoacid Response to Insulin in Man — Clin. Sci.35, 55, 1968.
Mackintosh T. F.: Propranolol and Hypoglycaemia — Lancet1, 104, 1967.
McArdle B.: Myopathy Due to a Defect in Muscle Glycogen Breakdown — Clin. Sci.10, 13, 1951.
Marenzi A. D., Gerschmann R.: Adrenaline et potassium sanguin — C. R. Soc. Biol. (Paris)124, 382, 1936.
Massara F., Camanni F.: Propranolol Block of Adrenaline-Induced Hypophosphataemia in Man — Clin. Sci.38, 245, 1970.
Massara F., Camanni F.: Effetti del propranololo su alcune modificazioni metaboliche indotte dall’adrenalina — Atti XV Congr. Soc. Ital. Farmacologia, Milano 1969; p. 67.
Massara F., Camanni F., Molinatti G. M.: The Serum Inorganic Phosphorus Pattern during the Augmented Insulin Tolerance Test in Acromegaly — J. Endocr.34, 13, 1966.
Massara F., Tripodina A., Rotunno M.: Propranolol Block of Epinephrine Induced Hypokaliaemia in Man — Europ. J. Pharmacol.10, 404, 1970.
Morris H. J., Jorgensen J. R.: Hormonal Influence on Recovery of Blood Glucose after Induced Hypoglycaemia — Clin. Res.17, 107, 1969.
Nelson N.: A Photometric Adaptation of the Somogyi Method for the Determination of Glucose — J. biol. Chem.153, 375, 1944.
Perlzweig W. A., Latham E., Keefer C. S.: The Behaviour of Inorganic Phosphate in the Blood and Urine of Normal and Diabetic Subjects during Carbohydrate Metabolism — Proc. Soc. exp. Biol. (N. Y.)21, 33, 1923.
Porte D. Jr.: A Receptor Mechanism for the Inhibition of Insulin Release by Epinephrine in Man — J. clin. Invest.46, 86, 1967.
Reveno W. S., Rosenbaum H.: Propranolol Hypoglycaemia — Lancet1, 920, 1968.
Simpson T.: Propranolol and Hypoglycaemia — Lancet1, 508, 1967.
Stickney J. C.: The Effect of Epinephrine on the Potassium Balance of the Hind Limbs of the Frog — Amer. J. Physiol.132, 9, 1941.
Tews J. K., Woodcock N. A., Harper A. E.: Stimulation of Aminoacid Transport in Rat Liver Slices by Epinephrine, Glucagon and Adenosine 3′,5′-Monophosphate — J. biol. Chem.245, 3026, 1970.
von Euler V. S., Ikkos D., Luft R.: Adrenaline Excretion during Resting Condition and after Insulin in Adrenalectomized Human Subjects — Acta endocr. (Kbh.)38, 441, 1961.
Walaas O., Walaas E., Wick A. N.: The Stimulatory Effect by Insulin on the Incorporation of32P Radioactive Inorganic Phosphate into Intracellular Inorganic Phosphate, Adenine Nucleotides and Guanine Nucleotides of the Intact Isolated Rat Diaphragm — Diabetologia5, 79, 1969.
Wallace J. M., Harlem W. R.: Significance of Epinephrine in Insulin Hypoglycemia in Man — Amer J. Med.38, 531, 1965.
Walter R. M., Dudi R. J., Palmier J. P., Ensinck J. W.: The Effect of Adrenergic Blockade on the Glucagon Responses to Starvation and Hypoglycemia in Man — J. clin. Invest.54, 1214, 1974.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Massara, F., Camanni, F. & Molinatti, G. Effect of propranolol on some adrenaline- and insulin-induced metabolic changes in man. Acta diabet. lat 12, 41–51 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02581111
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02581111