[Effect of somatotropin and prolactin on functional activity and proliferation of cultured islet cells of newborn rats].

A study was made of the STH and prolactin effect on insulin secretion and 3H-thymidine incorporation in DNA by keeping them in 10.5 and 1% embryonic calf serum using a model of the primary monolayer culture of isolated pancreatic islet cells. It has been shown that STH preincubation of the islet cells for 16 hours resulted in a distinct stimulation of insulin secretion and cell proliferation in culture. Prolactin had a similar stimulating effect with STH preincubation of the cells for 24 hours. The STH and prolactin effect depended on the cultivation conditions and manifested itself to a large extent with a low content in the medium of the embryonic calf serum (1%). The results are indicative of the presence of the STH and prolactin direct specific effect on insulin secretory function and cultivated islet cell proliferation.