Abstract
Summary
The effect of intravenous infusion of epinephrine was studied in pigs. FFA increased 8–10-fold within an hour, and this high level was maintained throughout a 6-hour infusion period. During the infusion of epinephrine, the mean plasma insulin concentration remained below 2 μU/ml, despite marked severe hyperglycemia. Within 30 minutes after the withdrawal of epinephrine there was a 4–6-fold increase of plasma insulin. This was accompanied by a gradual decrease of glucose and FFA. By the time blood sugar and FFA fell to preinfusion levels insulin also returned to normal. It appears that epinephrine blocks insulin release normally induced by high blood sugar levels.
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