Effects of intracisternal glucose or insulin injections on glucose homeostasis in cat.

The injection of glucose (100 mg) into the cisterna magna of intact anesthetized cats elicited immediate glycosuria and natriuresis without significant changes in blood glucose concentration. Immunoreactive insulin (IRI) increased 140% in plasma, and Na+ concentration decreased in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). After kidney denervation there was a significant decrease in glucose and Na+ concentrations in urine. Control injections with mannitol did not elicit changes in the studied parameters. Abdominal vagotomy abolished the rise in IRI levels and the decrease in Na+ concentration in CSF. Vagotomy or adrenalectomy also attenuated the glycosuria and the rise in urine Na+ concentration. The intracisternal injection of insulin (0.5 U/kg) caused first, a decrease in glucose concentration in CSF and afterwards a longer latency in plasma. Again, these responses were significantly attenuated when insulin was administered in vagotomized cats. These experiments indicate that the nervous system, through the vagi, adrenal glands, and kidneys, plays an important role in glucose homeostasis after increasing glucose or insulin levels in the CSF above physiologic concentrations. The results obtained with a denervated kidney confirm the participation of nervous system in the effector mechanism that brings the sugar and Na+ into the urine. Evidence is presented for an interrelationship between glucose and Na+ concentrations in blood, urine, and CSF.