Ethanol decreases basal insulin secretion from HIT-T15 cells

摘要

Various epidemiological studies suggest that alcohol intake is one of the risk factors leading to type II or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), but the effect of alcohol on beta-cell function remains unexplored. To study the mechanism of the diabetogenic action of ethanol, we investigated the effect of ethanol on beta-cell functions using a single clonal beta-cell line, HIT-T15 cells. When HIT cells were treated with ethanol, the metabolic activity judged by MTT assay was inhibited in dose- and time dependent manners, but cytotoxicity was not observed. Ethanol also inhibited basal insulin secretion by 30% compared to the untreated control. However, glucose-stimulated insulin secretion was not impaired by ethanol although the basal insulin secretion was inhibited. These results imply that ethanol exert beta-cells to overwork in order to compensate inhibition of the basal secretion. This finding may at least in part explain the diabetogenic action of ethanol. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. [References: 19]