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RESPONSES OF NEUROHYPOPHYSIAL PEPTIDES TO HYPERTONIC SALINE AND INSULIN‐INDUCED HYPOGLYCAEMIA IN MAN
Author(s) -
NUSSEY S. S.,
ANG V. T. Y.,
FINER N.,
JENKINS J. S.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
clinical endocrinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1365-2265
pISSN - 0300-0664
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2265.1986.tb03259.x
Subject(s) - medicine , endocrinology , oxytocin , diabetes insipidus , hypertonic saline , vasopressin , insulin , tonicity , diabetes mellitus , plasma osmolality , saline
SUMMARY In order to investigate the possible role of oxytocin in osmoregulation and its response to stress, plasma immunoreactive oxytocin was measured during hypertonic saline infusion and insulin‐induced hypoglycaemia in a group of normal subjects, four patients with idiopathic diabetes insipidus and one patient with DIDMOAD syndrome (the syndrome of diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy and deafness). The results were compared with those of plasma immunoreactive vasopressin to the same stimuli. As expected, there was a rise in plasma vasopressin in the normal subjects to both tests: this was absent in the patients with diabetes insipidus. Plasma oxytocin did not rise during hypertonic saline infusion in either group of subjects. The response of oxytocin to insulin‐induced hypoglycaemia (0.15 U/kg soluble insulin) in normal subjects was much more variable. One highly symptomatic volunteer showed a marked rise in oxytocin. Two subjects also showed a rise when retested with 0.19 U/kg soluble insulin. There was no response of oxytocin to a standard‐dose insulin test in the patients with diabetes insipidus. The data suggest that, in man, oxytocin is not involved in osmoregulation but that it may be secreted in response to marked hypoglycaemia.