Stimulation of insulin release by aurothioglucose

This study was initiated to re-evaluate the effect of aurothioglucose on insulin release. In rat pancreatic islets incubated in the presence of either 7.0 mM D-glucose or 10.0 mM L-leucine, a concentration of the glucose analogue as low as 0.05 mM was sufficient to cause an increment in insulin output comparable to that found at much higher concentrations (0.3-8.3 mM) of aurothioglucose. These findings suggest that islet B-cells might be equipped with a target system that can be directly activated by selected monosaccharide derivatives.