Role of cholinergic mechanism in the hypoglycemic action of B. pertussis vaccine.

The present work aims to study the role of the cholinergic mechanism in the hypoglycemic action of B. pertussis vaccine in rats. The vaccine resembles insulin in that the hypoglycemia produced is mainly due to the increase conversion of glucose to glycogen in the liver and muscle. Both the hypoglycemia as well as glycogen deposition was partially blocked by atropine. On the other hand the vaccine potentiated the fall in the blood sugar and deposition of glycogen in the tissues produced by physostigmine. This suggests the possible involvement of the cholinergic system in the hypoglycemic action of the vaccine.