Effects of the β-carbolines, harmane and pinoline, on insulin secretion from isolated human islets of Langerhans

It is well known that certain imidazoline compounds can stimulate insulin secretion and this has been attributed to the activation of imidazoline I-3 binding sites in the pancreatic beta-cell. Recently, it has been proposed that beta-carbolines may be endogenous ligands having activity at imidazoline sites and we have, therefore, studied the effects of beta-carbolines on insulin secretion. The beta-carbolines harmane, norharmane and pinoline increased insulin secretion two- to threefold from isolated human islets of Langerhans. The effects of harmane and pinoline were dose-dependent (EC50: 5 and 25 muM, respectively) and these agents also blocked the inhibitory effects of the potassium channel agonist, diazoxide, on glucose-induced insulin release. Stimulation of insulin secretion by harmane was glucose-dependent but, unlike the imidazoline I-3 receptor agonist efaroxan, it increased the rate of insulin release beyond that elicited by 20 mM glucose (20 mM glucose alone: 253 +/- 34% vs. basal; 20 mM glucose plus 100 muM harmane: 327 +/- 15%; P < 0.01). Stimulation of insulin secretion by harmane was attenuated by the imidazoline 13 receptor antagonist KU14R (2 (2-ethyl 2,3-dihydro-2-benzofuranyl)-2-imidazole) and was reduced when islets were treated with efaroxan for 18 h, prior to the addition of harmane. The results reveal that beta-carbolines can potentiate the rate of insulin secretion from human islets and suggest that these agents may be useful prototypes for the development of novel insulin secretagogues. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.