Summary
We were unable to confirm the report of haloperidol induced dose-dependent inhibition of insulin and glucagon release from the isolated canine pancreas. The possibility that the inhibition was caused by ethanol, previously used as the solvent for haloperidol, was tested. Infusion of ethanol at increasing concentrations (15.8 to 252 mmol/l) caused a progressive inhibition of insulin (-17±1 to -69 ±2%) and glucagon (-13±3 to -67±3%) secretion, using a perfusate containing 200 mg/dl glucose and 2.65 mmol/l calcium. Haloperidol (5 to 20 μmol/l) dissolved in ethanol (252 mmol/l) did not augment the inhibitory effects of ethanol. At a low calcium concentration (1.3 mmol/l) ethanol further inhibited insulin secretion (-83 ± 2%) with no additional inhibition by 20 μmol/l haloperidol (-80±3%). At a high calcium concentration (8.8 mmol/l) the inhibitory effect of ethanol on insulin or glucagon secretions was diminished and variable. This strongly suggests that the inhibition of insulin and glucagon secretion previously attributed to haloperidol was caused by the ethanol solvent.
Article PDF
References
Hermansen K (1978) Haloperidol, a dopaminergic agonist: somatostatin-like inhibition of glucagon and insulin release from the isolated, perfused canine pancreas. Diabetologia 15: 343–349
Samols E, Weir G (1979) Adrenergic modulation of pancreatic A, B and D cells, α-adrenergic suppression of β-adrenergic stimulation of somatostatin secretion, α-adrenergic stimulation of glucagon secretion in the perfused dog pancreas. J Clin Invest 63: 230–238
Herbert V, Lou K-S, Gottleib CW (1965) Coated charcoal immunoassay of insulin. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 25: 1375–1384
Patel DG, Singh SP (1979) Effect of ethanol and its metabolites on glucose mediated insulin release from isolated islets of rats. Metabolism 28: 85–89
Feldman JM, Quickel KE, Lebovitz HE (1972) Potentiation of insulin secretion in vitro by serotonin antagonists. Diabetes 21: 779–788
Kuo WN, Modgins DS, Kuo JF (1973) Adenylate cyclose in islets of Langerhans. Isolation of islets and regulation of adenulate cyclose activity by various hormones and agents. J Biol Chem 248: 2705–2711
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Samols, E., Stagner, J.I. Reinterpretation of the effect of haloperidol and ethanol on insulin secretion. Diabetologia 19, 81–83 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00258316
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00258316