ENZYMATIC ACTIVITY OF PANCREATIC ISLETS AND ACINI IN NORMAL AND TOLBUTAMIDE-TREATED RATS

By quantitative microchemical techniques, four enzymes—malic, lactic, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenases, and glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase-were measured in pancreatic islets and acini from rats 25 hours after an injection of tolbutamide (150 mg/kg) and compared with controls from animals receiving either saline or no injections. Malic and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and transaminase were all three to four times as active in islets as in acini, while islet lactic dehydrogenase presented only one-third to one-fourth that activity in acini. No significant differences were observed among tolbutamide, saline or non-injected animals. The pancreas of the rat thus presents a distinctive enzymatic pattern susceptible to quantitative studies.