Effect of an insulin infusion on hepatic output of glucose

¹ Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington

Catheters were placed in the hepatic vein and portal vein of normal dogs and were maintained for varying periods of time. With these animals in an unanesthetized state and recovered from the acute effects of the catheter implantations, small amounts of insulin were slowly infused into the portal vein and the hepatic output of glucose was determined. It was concluded that under the experimental conditions insulin did not significantly depress the hepatic output of glucose but that it did inhibit the hepatic response to hypoglycemia. The hepatic glucose output during the infusion was similar to the control values but there was a marked rise in glucose output following the cessation of the infusion.