Effects of insulin and glucagon on production of renin substrate by the isolated rat liver.

An isolated rat liver perfusion system was used to study the effects of insulin and glucagon on renin substrate production. Normal livers synthesized renin substrate at a rate of 28.3 +/- 3.8 (S.E.M.) ng angiotensin I equiv./g liver each h (n = 8). The addition of insulin (more than 0.1 i.u.) to the perfusion significantly enhanced the production of renin substrate which was about twofold higher than normal control values (P less than 0.001). However, glucagon (20 micrograms) did not affect the synthesis of renin substrate. These results indicated that insulin promoted the synthesis of renin substrate by the isolated rat liver.