Increased Proinsulin/Insulin Ratio in Pancreas Extracts of Hyperglycemic Rats

The plasma ratio of proinsulin/insulin is raised in people with NIDDM. A relative hypersecretion of proinsulin is thought to be the cause, because pancreas extracts from diabetic rats have a raised proinsulin/insulin ratio. We tested the hypothesis that the pancreatic proinsulin/insulin mismatch results from hyperglycemia-induced β-cell degranulation. Normal rats made hyperglycemic with 48-h glucose infusions had a raised pancreatic percentage of proinsulin. In contrast, rats infused with enough glucose to induce compensatory hyperinsulinemia without changing the plasma glucose level had a normal percentage of proinsulin. The raised percentage of proinsulin in the hyperglycemic rats reflected a reduction in pancreatic insulin content. Administering an inhibitor of insulin release, diazoxide, to hyperglycemic rats blocked the fall in pancreatic insulin content and prevented the rise in the percentage of proinsulin. Normal rats infused with tolbutamide for 3 days and enough glucose to maintain euglycemia had a 50% reduction in pancreatic insulin content. The β-cell degranulation from this nonhyperglycemic mechanism resulted in a raised pancreatic percentage of proinsulin. In summary, chronic hyperglycemia causes β-cell degranulation primarily because of hyperstimulated insulin release. The net result is a rise in the ratio of immature (proinsulin-rich) to mature (insulin-rich) granules, which is reflected as an increased relative proportion of proinsulin. Mobilization of these proinsulin-enriched granules may explain the relative hypersecretion of proinsulin that occurs with diabetes.