ß-Adrenergic Responsiveness of the Gastrointestinal Tract in Diabetic Rats

Abstract

Abstract: Recently, decreased gastrointestinal ß-adrenergic responses in experimental diabetes have been demonstrated. Gastrointestinal responses to ß-adrenoceptor agonists are impaired in both insulin-dependent and non-insulin-dependent diabetic rat. Insulin treatment improves the impaired gastrointestinal ß-adrenergic responsiveness of diabetic rats. The improvement seen with insulin treatment on ß-adrenergic responsiveness is closely related to protein biosynthesis. The decreased ß-adrenergic responses in diabetic rat gastrointestinal tract seem to result from a decrease in the number of ß-adrenoceptors. It is most likely that the decreased gastrointestinal ß-adrenergic responsiveness is related to an impairment in the turnover of ß-adrenoceptors as a consequence of diabetes and that insulin has a beneficial effect on the impaired receptor turnover. 1992 Nordic Pharmacological Society