Abstract
ALTHOUGH glucose was for a long time considered the most important physiological agent for stimulating release of the insulin from the islets of Langerhans, there have recently been reports that the five carbon polyhydric alcohol xylitol is also active in causing insulin secretion, either in whole animals1 or in perfused pancreas preparations2. The substance is believed to be metabolized in mammalian tissues through the pentose phosphate pathway3. Because this pathway seems to be important in the release of insulin4,5, the effects of pentitols and pentoses on insulin secretion have been examined in greater detail, using isolated rat islets of Langerhans.
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MONTAGUE, W., HOWELL, S. & TAYLOR, K. Pentitols and the Mechanism of Insulin Release. Nature 215, 1088–1089 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/2151088a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2151088a0
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