Essential role of insulin during early prepancreatic development of the frog Microhyla ornata.

We undertook the present study to examine the role of insulin during early development of frog when functional pancreas does not exist. Two approaches were adopted to achieve this objective. In the first approach, influence of exogenous insulin on the early embryonic development of the frog Microhyla ornata was studied. In the second approach, the effects of antiserum to insulin on embryonic development were studied. Exogenous insulin stimulated the embryonic development while immunoneutralization of endogenous insulin not only resulted in retardation of development but also induced developmental abnormalities. These results demonstrate the essential role of insulin during early embryonic development of this frog. To our knowledge, such findings have not been reported so far in any amphibian.