Studies of anterior pituitary tissue in vitro: effects of insulin and experimental diabetes mellitus upon carbohydrate metabolism.

Since the classical experiments of Houssay and Biasotti (1), Evans, Meyer, Simpson and Reichert (2), Young (3), and Long and Lukens (4), the diabetogenic potential of pituitary hormones has been amply documented (5). However, the metabolism of glucose by the pituitary has received but little examination (6-9), and the authors have been unable to find any published studies of the hormonal determinants of hypophyseal carbohydrate economy. Because of the potential contribution of these factors to the endocrine function of the pituitary, experiments were initiated to define the role of insulin. The studies have demonstrated that the assimilation and disposition of glucose by surviving preparations of anterior pituitary from normal rats and beef may be enhanced by insulin in vitro. Moreover, it has been shown that glucose metabolism is significantly reduced in anterior pituitaries excised from rats rendered insulin-deficient by total pancreatectomy or alloxanization, and that these hypophyseal derangements can be prevented by replacement therapy with insulin in vivo.