Hormonal counterregulatory responses to human (semi-synthetic and recombinant DNA) and porcine insulin induced hypoglycaemia.

Controversy exists over differences in hormonal counterregulatory (CR) responses to human and porcine insulins with conflicting reports regarding the adrenaline, glucagon, growth hormone, cortisol and prolactin responses to the two species of insulin. It has been suggested that these differences may represent different central nervous system sensitivities to the two types of insulin. The CR responses to an intravenous bolus of 0.1 U/kg of neutral soluble semi-synthetic (SSHI) and biosynthetic (BHI) human insulins, porcine insulin and diluting medium as control were compared in six fasted normal male subjects. The plasma glucose fell similarly with all three insulins reaching a mean nadir of 1.5 +/- 0.2 mmol/l at 25 min. Peak responses to porcine, SSHI and BHI, respectively were: adrenaline--523 +/- 101, 424 +/- 62, 379 +/- 76 pg/ml; glucagon--0.064 +/- 0.01, 0.063 +/- 0.01, 0.078 +/- 0.01 nmol/l; cortisol--507 +/- 42, 539 +/- 65, 507 +/- 42 nmol; growth hormone--76 +/- 10, 76 +/- 5, 64 +/- 15 mU/l; prolactin--507 +/- 72, 608 +/- 103, 523 +/- 118 mU/l. These differences in CR response were not statistically significant. The results do not support the suggestion of a different hormonal counterregulatory response or central nervous system sensitivity to human and porcine insulins when administered by intravenous bolus injections to normal subjects.