RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Effects of tacrine on insulin secretion and 86Rb+ and 45Ca++ efflux from rat pancreatic islets.
JF Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
JO J Pharmacol Exp Ther
FD American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
SP 494
OP 498
VO 263
IS 2
A1 S Karlsson
A1 B Ahrén
YR 1992
UL http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/263/2/494.abstract
AB Tacrine (1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-9-aminoacridine), a drug that has attained interest because of its ability to alleviate symptoms in Alzheimer's type of dementia, was found to stimulate insulin secretion from isolated rat pancreatic islets. The insulinotropic effect of the drug was observed at 8.3 mM but not at 3.3 mM glucose and was dependent on extracellular Ca++. From perifused 86Rb(+)-prelabeled islets, tacrine inhibited the fractional efflux of 86Rb+ at 3.3 mM glucose, but stimulated 86Rb+ efflux at 8.3 mM glucose. These effects persisted in the absence of extracellular Ca++. Tacrine also stimulated 45Ca++ efflux from perifused 45Ca(++)-prelabeled islets at 8.3 mM but had no effect on 45Ca++ efflux at 3.3 mM glucose or in the absence of extracellular Ca++. It is concluded that tacrine potentiates glucose-stimulated insulin secretion by a mechanism that is dependent on extracellular Ca++ and involves an increased Ca++ influx. The increased Ca++ influx is either secondary to a decreased K+ permeability induced by an inhibition of ATP-dependent K+ channels and/or due to a direct effect of tacrine on glucose-activated Ca++ channels.