Physiologic Response to Glucagon at Varying Insulin Levels

Not Applicable

Completed

Conditions: Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Interventions: Drug: Glucagon
Drug: Insulin

Registration Number: NCT01483651

Lead Sponsor: Legacy Health System

Brief Summary: The purpose of this research study is to test how different levels of insulin block the effect of glucagon. Insulin is a hormone that lowers blood glucose. Glucagon raises blood glucose. Both are natural hormones made by people without diabetes. Sensor-based blood glucose control studies have been done by our research group using glucagon in small doses to prevent hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). However, sometimes glucagon does not work to raise blood sugar. The investigators believe this is because of too much insulin in the body. This study will help determine how different levels of insulin in the body affect the ability of glucagon to raise blood sugar.

Detailed Description: We investigators have been working on the development of a closed loop (artificial endocrine pancreas) insulin and glucagon infusion system since 2005 and are part of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Artificial Pancreas Consortium. As part of our studies, we give small doses of glucagon to prevent hypoglycemia. As we assessed the success and failure of glucagon administration during these studies, we found the use of glucagon reduced the frequency of hypoglycemia by about 75%. However, the fact that approximately 25% of administrations of glucagon are ineffective remains a concern.

The primary question to be addressed by this study is, in the setting of low dose subcutaneous glucagon administration, how do plasma glucagon and plasma insulin quantitatively interact? In other words, as the rate of insulin administration is increased, how much more glucagon is necessary to overcome the effect of insulin to prevent hypoglycemia? This study is designed to address this question. Subjects will be brought in to a Legacy Hospital for four 10 hour experiments on each of four separate days. On each study day, there will be a continuous infusion of a different rate of IV Regular insulin in order to achieve different steady state free insulin levels. At each insulin level, there will be four subcutaneous glucagon doses given. Octreotide will be infused by IV at a constant rate to suppress endogenous production of glucagon. A stable glucose isotope will also be infused to allow for measurement of hepatic glucose production and glucose turnover. Arterialized venous blood glucose will be measured by the HemoCue Glucose 201 Analyzer.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: COMPLETED

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 11

Inclusion Criteria

Diagnosis of type 1 diabetes mellitus for at least 1 year
Male or female subjects 21 to 65 years of age
Current use of an insulin pump
Willingness to sign informed consent and HIPAA documents and follow all study procedures

Exclusion Criteria

Pregnancy or Lactation: For women of childbearing potential: there is a requirement for a negative urine pregnancy test and for agreement to use contraception during the study and for at least 1 month after participating in the study
Renal insufficiency (serum creatinine of 2.0 mg/dL or greater)
Liver abnormalities: Serum ALT or AST equal to or greater than 3 times the upper limit of normal; hepatic synthetic insufficiency as defined as a serum albumin of less than 3.3 g/dL; or serum bilirubin of over 2
Adrenal insufficiency
Hematocrit of less than or equal to 34%
A history of cerebrovascular disease or coronary artery disease regardless of the time since occurrence
Congestive heart failure, NYHA class III or IV
Cardiac rhythm disturbance characterized by: 2nd or 3rd degree heart block, bradycardia of less than 50 bpm (exception of bradycardia in an aerobic athlete), tachycardia of greater than 100 bpm, or any arrhythmia judged by the investigator to be exclusionary
Any active infection
Active foot ulceration
Severe peripheral arterial disease characterized by ischemic rest pain or severe claudication
Active alcohol abuse, substance abuse, or severe mental illness (as judged by the principal investigator)
Active malignancy, except basal cell or squamous cell skin cancers
Major surgical operation within 30 days prior to screening
Seizure disorder
Any concurrent illness, other than diabetes, that is not controlled by a stable therapeutic regimen
Chronic usage of any immunosuppressive medication
Current administration of oral or parenteral corticosteroids
Use of an investigational drug within 30 days prior to screening
Bleeding disorder, treatment with warfarin, or platelet count below 50,000
Allergy to glucagon
Past history of pheochromocytoma or a family history of MEN 2, neurofibromatosis, or von Hippel-Lindau disease
Insulin resistance requiring more than 200 units per day

Study & Design

Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL

Study Design: CROSSOVER

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Low, Medium and High insulin infusion	Insulin	All study subjects in this arm were randomized as follows: First study is regular insulin infused at lowest level with glucagon administration. Second study is regular insulin infused at medium level with glucagon adminstration. Third study is regular insulin infused at highest level with glucagon administration.
Low, High and Medium insulin infusion	Insulin	All study subjects in this arm were randomized as follows: First study is regular insulin infused at lowest level with glucagon administration. Second study is regular insulin infused at highest level with glucagon adminstration. Third study is regular insulin infused at medium level with glucagon administration.
Medium, High and Low insulin infusion	Insulin	All study subjects in this arm were randomized as follows: First study is regular insulin infused at medium level with glucagon administration. Second study is regular insulin infused at highest level with glucagon adminstration. Third study is regular insulin infused at lowest level with glucagon administration.
High, Low and Medium insulin infusion	Insulin	All study subjects in this arm were randomized as follows: First study is regular insulin infused at highest level with glucagon administration. Second study is regular insulin infused at lowest level with glucagon adminstration. Third study is regular insulin infused at medium level with glucagon administration.
High, Medium and Low insulin infusion	Insulin	All study subjects in this arm were randomized as follows: First study is regular insulin infused at highest level with glucagon administration. Second study is regular insulin infused at medium level with glucagon adminstration. Third study is regular insulin infused at lowest level with glucagon administration.
Medium, Low and High insulin infusion	Insulin	All study subjects in this arm were randomized as follows: First study is regular insulin infused at medium level with glucagon administration. Second study is regular insulin infused at lowest level with glucagon adminstration. Third study is regular insulin infused at highest level with glucagon administration.
Low, Medium and High insulin infusion	Glucagon	All study subjects in this arm were randomized as follows: First study is regular insulin infused at lowest level with glucagon administration. Second study is regular insulin infused at medium level with glucagon adminstration. Third study is regular insulin infused at highest level with glucagon administration.
Low, High and Medium insulin infusion	Glucagon	All study subjects in this arm were randomized as follows: First study is regular insulin infused at lowest level with glucagon administration. Second study is regular insulin infused at highest level with glucagon adminstration. Third study is regular insulin infused at medium level with glucagon administration.
Medium, Low and High insulin infusion	Glucagon	All study subjects in this arm were randomized as follows: First study is regular insulin infused at medium level with glucagon administration. Second study is regular insulin infused at lowest level with glucagon adminstration. Third study is regular insulin infused at highest level with glucagon administration.
Medium, High and Low insulin infusion	Glucagon	All study subjects in this arm were randomized as follows: First study is regular insulin infused at medium level with glucagon administration. Second study is regular insulin infused at highest level with glucagon adminstration. Third study is regular insulin infused at lowest level with glucagon administration.
High, Low and Medium insulin infusion	Glucagon	All study subjects in this arm were randomized as follows: First study is regular insulin infused at highest level with glucagon administration. Second study is regular insulin infused at lowest level with glucagon adminstration. Third study is regular insulin infused at medium level with glucagon administration.
High, Medium and Low insulin infusion	Glucagon	All study subjects in this arm were randomized as follows: First study is regular insulin infused at highest level with glucagon administration. Second study is regular insulin infused at medium level with glucagon adminstration. Third study is regular insulin infused at lowest level with glucagon administration.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Area Under the Curve for Glucose Above Baseline	60 minutes after each glucagon administration	The change in the rate of glucose appearance will be assessed by measuring the stable glucose isotope (dideuterated glucose, D2) using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry assay. The units of the area under the curve are defined as milligrams per kilogram of glucose, since the dependent variable is a rate of glucose production \[mg/kg/min\] measured over time \[min\]. The time variable therefore cancels out. Additionally, this area under the curve is being normalized per microgram of glucagon delivered.

Secondary Outcome Measures