Effect of high-protein feeding on insulin secretion in mice injected with splenocytes from diabetic mice

We report here our study of the in vitro glucose-induced insulin secretion from mice fed with a high-protein diet and injected with mononuclear splenocytes from streptozotocin-diabetic syngeneic donors. Results show that transfer of "diabetic" splenocytes caused significant diminutions in first phase of stimulated-insulin secretion. Nevertheless, insulin secretory levels attained in recipient mice fed with the high-protein diet were significantly higher than in mice fed with control diets. We also evaluated the effect of high-protein feeding on the capacity of "diabetic" splenocytes to transfer an impaired insulin secretion in recipient mice. For this purpose, splenocytes donor mice were fed with high-protein or control diets and injected with multiple low doses of streptozotocin. "Diabetic" splenocytes from high-protein, or control diets fed donors caused in recipient mice similar impairments in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Taken together, these results seem to support the hypothesis of a protective effect of a high-protein diet on the beta-cell function