Abstract:

Objective     To observe the effects of ethanol, palmitate or combined on pancreatic β-cells, INS-1 cells. Methods     INS-1 cells were divided into six groups: the control group, the 20mmol/L ethanol treatment group (to mimic moderate drinking), the 100mmol/L ethanol treatment group (to mimic heavy drinking), the palmitate (PA) treatment group, PA +20mmol/L ethanol treatment group, and the PA +100mmol/L ethanol treatment group. Incubated for 48 hours, all cells were tested by radioimmunoassy(RIA) for insulin secretion, Western blotting for protein expression of Pancreas Duodenum Homeobox-1 (PDX-1), Glucose Transporter 2 (Glut2) and AMP-activated ProteinKinase (AMPK)(including T-AMPK and P-AMPK) were used. Results      ① Compared with the control, the 20mmol/L ethanol treatment showed no obvious effect on INS1 cells(P>0.05), while 100mmol/L ethanol and PA  treatment decreased PDX-1 and GLUT2 expression as well as insulin secreting content(all P<0.05). In contrast to the PA treatment, combined PA and 20mmol/L ethanol treatment significantly increased PDX-1 and GLUT2 expressions as well as insulin secreting content(all P<0.05), while combined PA and 100mmol/L ethanol treatment did not exhibit such effects(P>0.05). ② Compared with the control, 20mmol/L ethanol demonstrated no effect on AMPK,  total protein expression or activation(P>0.05). The 100mmol/L ethanol treatment only decreased the T-AMPK level(P<0.05) and PA treatment reduced both expression and activation of AMPK(P<0.05). Compared with the PA treatment, PA+20mmol/L ethanol treatment remarkably increased the level of T-AMPK and the ratio of p-AMPK to T-AMPK(P<0.05), while PA+100mmol/L ethanol treatment displayed no obvious discrepancy(P>0.05). Conclusions      Large amounts of ethanol and palmitate can damage INS-1 cell function.  Moderate ethanol (20mmol/L) can ameliorate impairments of pancreatic β cell function caused by palmitate.

Key words: Ethanol; Palmitate; Pancreas Duodenum Homeobox-1; Glucose Transporter 2; AMP-activated Protein Kinase