Increased lymphocyte transformation by insulin induced hypoglycaemia in normal subjects.

To study the effect of carbohydrate metabolism on lymphocyte reactivity, we performed phytohaemoagglutinin and pokeweed mitogen induced lymphocyte transformation after insulin induced hypoglycaemia in normal subjects. A statistically significant increase of PHA-LT and a slight increase of PKW-LT were detected 30 minutes following insulin administration. These data suggest a stimulating effect of insulin induced hypoglycaemia on T lymphocyte reactivity and this finding has clinical importance in regard to the management of diabetic patients.