Insulin degradation in hepatic cirrhosis.

Hepatic insulinase activity was studied in cirrhosis in an attempt to explain the hyperinsulinemia known to occur in this disease. Liver tissue was obtained during laparotomy in seven patients with cirrhosis of the liver and five patients without liver disease. Insulin degradation was significantly decreased in the cirrhotic liver at each time interval measured (p less than 0.05). Insulinase inhibitor activity was measured in the plasma of 12 patients with cirrhosis of the liver and six controls. There was no significant difference between the two groups. Decreased insulinase activity in cirrhosis may account, in part, for the hyperinsulinemia seen in this disease.