Intestinal growth is associated with elevated levels of glucagon
-like peptide-2 in diabetic rats.
Fischer, Kirk D., Savita Dhanvantari, Daniel J. Drucker, and Patricia
L. Brubaker.
Departments of Physiology and Medicine and the Banting and Best
Diabetes Centre, The Toronto Hospital, University of Toronto,
Toronto, Canada M5S 1A8
APStracts 4:0162E, 1997.
Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) has recently been identified as a
novel intestinal growth factor. As experimental diabetes is
associated with bowel growth, we examined the relationship between
GLP-2 and intestinal growth in rats made diabetic by streptozotocin
(STZ) injection, treated with or without insulin for three weeks.
Ileal concentrations of the intestinal proglucagon-derived peptides,
i.e. glicentin, oxyntomodulin, and the glucagon-like peptides 1 and
2, were increased by 57+/-20% above controls in untreated STZ
-diabetes (P<0.05-0.001). Similar increases in plasma concentrations
of glicentin/oxyntomodulin (77+/-15% above controls, P<0.01) and
GLP-2 (91+/-32% above controls, P<0.05) were seen in untreated STZ
-diabetes. Both wet and dry small intestinal weight increased by 74+/
-20% above controls (P<0.01) in STZ-diabetes and macromolecular
analysis indicated parallel increases in both protein (P<0.001) and
lipid (P<0.05) content. Villus height (P<0.001) and crypt depth
(P<0.01) were also increased in untreated diabetic rat intestine.
Insulin therapy prevented the changes in plasma GLP-2 and intestinal
mass seen in untreated STZ-diabetes. Thus, STZ-diabetes is associated
with both increased production of GLP-2 and enhanced bowel weight,
thereby suggesting a role for GLP-2 in diabetes-associated bowel
growth.
Received 28 March 1997; accepted in final form 21 July 1997.
APS Manuscript Number E143-7.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Endocrinol. Metab.).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1997 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 27 August 1997