Effects of hyperglycemia on glucose production and utilization in humans. Measurement with [23H]-, [33H]-, and [614C]glucose

Studies with tritiated isotopes of glucose have demonstrated that hyperglycemia per se stimulates glucose utilization and suppresses glucose production in humans. These conclusions rely on the assumption that tritiated glucose provides an accurate measure of glucose turnover. However, if in the presence of hyperglycemia the isotope either loses its label during "futile" cycling or retains its label during cycling through glycogen, then this assumption is not valid. To examine this question, glucose utilization and glucose production rates were measured in nine normal subjects with a simultaneous infusion of [23H]glucose, an isotope that may undergo futile cycling but does not cycle through glycogen; [614C]glucose, an isotope that may cycle through glycogen but does not futile cycle; and [33H]glucose, an isotope that can both undergo futile cycling and cycle through glycogen. In the postabsorptive state at plasma glucose concentration of 95 mg X dl-1, glucose turnover determined with [614C]glucose (2.3 +/- 0.1 mg X kg-1 X min-1) was greater than that determined with [33H]glucose (2.1 +/- 0.1 mg X kg-1 X min-1, P = 0.002) and slightly less than that determined with [23H]glucose (2.7 +/- 0.2 mg X kg-1 X min-1, P = 0.08). Plasma glucose was then raised from 95 to 135 to 175 mg X dl-1 while insulin secretion was inhibited, and circulating insulin, glucagon, and growth hormone concentrations were maintained constant by infusion of these hormones and somatostatin. Glucose production and utilization rates determined with [614C]glucose continued to be less than those determined with [23H]glucose and greater than those seen with [33H]glucose.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Mechanism for underestimation of isotopically determined glucose disposal

Use of [3H]glucose and a one-compartment model to determine glucose kinetics frequently underestimates the rate of glucose production (Ra). To assess to what extent an isotope effect, a tracer contaminant, or inadequacy of the model was responsible, we measured glucose Ra and forearm clearance of tracer and unlabeled glucose at various concentrations of plasma insulin (approximately 50, approximately 160, and approximately 1800 microU/ml) and plasma glucose (approximately 90, approximately 160, approximately 250, and approximately 400 mg/dl) under steady-state and non-steady-state conditions. Under isotopic steady-state conditions, the clearances of tracer and unlabeled glucose across the forearm were identical, and exogenous glucose infusion rates did not differ significantly from the isotopically determined glucose Ra (10.0 +/- 1.3 vs. 10.5 +/- 1.0 mg.kg-1 fat-free mass.min-1, respectively). However, under isotopic non-steady-state conditions, the isotopically determined Ra was significantly lower than the glucose infusion rate (11.5 +/- 1.3 vs. 13.7 +/- 1.5 mg.kg-1 fat-free mass.min-1, respectively, P less than .001), and the underestimation was related to the deviation from the isotopic steady state. When [3H]glucose specific activity of plasma samples from experiments with the greatest underestimation of Ra was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography, less than 7% of the underestimation could be accounted for by a contaminant. These results indicate that inadequacy of the one-compartment model is responsible for underestimation of glucose Ra under non-steady-state conditions and that there is no detectable isotopic effect or appreciable contaminant of [3-3H]glucose. We conclude that under isotopic steady-state conditions, [3-3H]glucose is a reliable tracer for glucose kinetic studies in humans.     

Effects of fasting on plasma glucose and prolonged tracer measurement of hepatic glucose output in NIDDM

We studied the measurement of hepatic glucose output (HGO) with prolonged [3-3H]glucose infusion in 14 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Over the course of 10.5 h, plasma glucose concentration fell with fasting by one-third, from 234 +/- 21 to 152 +/- 12 mg/dl, and HGO fell from 2.35 +/- 0.18 to 1.36 +/- 0.07 mg . kg-1 . min-1 (P less than .001). In the basal state, HGO and glucose were significantly correlated (r = 0.68, P = .03), and in individual patients, HGO and glucose were closely correlated as both fell with fasting (mean r = 0.79, P less than .01). Plasma [3-3H]glucose radioactivity approached a steady state only 5-6 h after initiation of the primed continuous infusion, and a 20% overestimate of HGO was demonstrated by not allowing sufficient time for tracer labeling of the glucose pool. Assumption of steady-state instead of non-steady-state kinetics in using Steele's equations to calculate glucose turnover resulted in a 9-24% overestimate of HGO. Stimulation of glycogenolysis by glucagon injection demonstrated no incorporation of [3-3H]glucose in hepatic glycogen during the prolonged tracer infusion. In a separate study, plasma glucose was maintained at fasting levels (207 +/- 17 mg/dl) for 8 h with the glucose-clamp technique. Total glucose turnover rates remained constant during this prolonged tracer infusion. However, HGO fell to 30% of the basal value simply by maintaining fasting hyperglycemia in the presence of basal insulin levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Effect of d-fenfluramine on basal glucose turnover and fat-feeding-induced insulin resistance in rats

There is evidence that fenfluramine improves insulin action independently of its anorectic and weight-loss-inducing properties. Chronic d-fenfluramine also reduces hypothalamic noradrenergic tone, which correlates highly with hepatic glucose output. We report that chronic d-fenfluramine (5 mg.kg-1.day-1) ameliorates insulin resistance induced by high-fat feeding. Insulin action was assessed in adult male rats at basal insulin levels and at hyperinsulinemia (approximately 140 mU/L with the euglycemic clamp technique). Hepatic glucose production, peripheral glucose disposal, and individual tissue glucose metabolism were determined from bolus injections of [3H]-2-deoxyglucose and [14C]glucose. Food intake was matched between groups. Basal glucose turnover was reduced 28% (P less than .05) in fat-fed rats receiving d-fenfluramine (fat + fen). The glucose infusion rate to maintain euglycemia was 22.0 +/- 1.1 mg.kg-1.min-1 in the high-carbohydrate-fed rats, 8.2 +/- 1.0 in fat-fed rats, and 15.1 +/- 0.5 in the fat + fen group. Peripheral glucose disposal, reflecting measured skeletal muscle changes, was reduced by fat feeding (from 23.5 +/- 1.0 to 13.8 +/- 0.6 mg.kg-1.min-1) but was improved by d-fenfluramine (16.9 +/- 0.5, P less than .05 vs. fat fed). Impaired suppression of hepatic glucose output by insulin, caused by fat feeding, was totally reversed by d-fenfluramine. Thus, d-fenfluramine counteracted diet-induced insulin resistance, with the predominant effect on the liver. We hypothesize that d-fenfluramine improves insulin action by reducing hypothalamic noradrenergic tone, which in turn reduces the neural drive to hepatic glucose output and improves the hepatic response to insulin.     

Hepatic and extrahepatic responses to insulin in NIDDM and nondiabetic humans. Assessment in absence of artifact introduced by tritiated nonglucose contaminants

It is well established that patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) are resistant to insulin. However, the contribution of hepatic and extrahepatic tissues to insulin resistance remains controversial. The uncertainty may be at least in part due to errors introduced by the unknowing use in previous studies of impure isotopes to measure glucose turnover. To determine hepatic and extrahepatic responses to insulin in the absence of these errors, steady-state glucose turnover was measured simultaneously with [6-3H]- and [6-14C]glucose during sequential 5- and 4-h infusions of insulin at rates of 0.4 and 10 mU.kg-1.min-1 in diabetic and nondiabetic subjects. At low insulin concentrations, [6-3H]- and [6-14C]glucose gave similar estimates of glucose turnover. Hepatic glucose release was equal to but not below zero in the nondiabetic subjects, but persistent glucose release (P less than 0.001) and decreased glucose uptake (P less than 0.001) was observed in the diabetic patients. At high insulin concentrations, both isotopes underestimated glucose turnover during the 1st h after initiation of the high-dose insulin infusion. More time (P less than 0.05) was required to reachieve steady state in NIDDM than nondiabetic subjects. At steady state, [6-3H]- but not [6-14C]glucose systematically underestimated (P less than 0.05) glucose turnover in both groups due to the presence of a tritiated nonglucose contaminant. The percentage of radioactivity in plasma due to tritiated contaminants was linearly related to turnover.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Quantitative aspects of glucose production and metabolism in healthy elderly subjects

The metabolic basis for the reduced glucose tolerance that occurs during aging in humans has been explored with the aid of a primed constant intravenous infusion method of labeled glucose (6-3H; 6,6,2H- and U-13C-glucose). Healthy young adult men and women (24 +/- 3 yr) and elderly men and women (75 +/- 4 yr) participated in a series of studies designed to quantify rates of plasma glucose appearance, oxidation, and recycling while subjects were in the postabsorptive (basal) state and to determine rates of hepatic glucose production and glucose disappearance in response to intravenous glucose at approximately 1 and 2 mg x kg-1min-1 and also 4 mg x kg-1min-1 without or with a simultaneous infusion of insulin to maintain normoglycemia. Basal rates of glucose production were 2.41 +/- 0.06 and 2.18 /+/- 0.05 mg x kg-1min-1 in the young adults and elderly, respectively (P less than 0.05). Recycling of glucose carbon and glucose oxidation rates did not differ significantly between the two age groups. Infusion of unlabeled glucose reduced hepatic glucose production to the same extent in the two groups, indicating that the mechanisms responsible for altered hepatic glucose production with intravenous glucose administration remain intact during human aging. Plasma insulin changes were similar in young adult and elderly subjects receiving 4 mg x kg-1min-1 unlabeled glucose except that the higher plasma glucose levels in the elderly were associated with higher insulin levels. For elderly subjects, the amount of exogenous insulin required to maintain normoglycemia at the 4 mg x kg-1min-1 glucose infusion rate was about twice that necessary in young adults.     

Role of brain in counterregulation of insulin-induced hypoglycemia in dogs

The role of the brain in directing counterregulation during hypoglycemia induced by insulin infusion was assessed in overnight-fasted conscious dogs. Concomitant brain and peripheral hypoglycemia was induced in one group of dogs (n = 5) by infusing insulin peripherally at a rate of 3.5 mU.kg-1.min-1. In another group (n = 4), insulin was infused as described above to induce peripheral hypoglycemia, and brain hypoglycemia was minimized by infusing glucose bilaterally into the carotid and vertebral arteries to maintain the brain glucose level at a calculated concentration of 85 mg/dl. Glucose was also infused peripherally as needed so that the peripheral glucose levels in both of the protocols were similar (45 +/- 2 mg/dl with and 48 +/- 3 mg/dl without brain glucose infusion, both P less than .05). The responses (in terms of change of area under the curve) of epinephrine, norepinephrine, cortisol, and pancreatic polypeptide when brain glycemia was controlled during insulin infusion were only 14 +/- 6, 39 +/- 12, 17 +/- 8, and 9 +/- 4%, respectively, of those present during insulin infusion without concomitant brain glucose infusion (all P less than .05). Of particular interest was the glucagon response that occurred when head hypoglycemia was minimized; the glucagon level was only 21 +/- 8% of that present when marked brain hypoglycemia accompanied insulin infusion (P less than .05). During hypoglycemia resulting from insulin infusion, endogenous glucose production (EGP), as assessed with [3-3H]glucose, rose from 2.6 +/- 0.1 to 4.4 +/- 0.5 mg.kg-1.min-1 (P less than .05). In contrast, EGP decreased from 2.7 +/- 0.2 to 2.0 +/- 0.3 mg.kg-1.min-1 when brain hypoglycemia was minimized. In an additional set of studies, when insulin was infused at 3.5 mU.kg-1.min-1 and glucose was infused peripherally to maintain both the head and peripheral glucose concentrations at 88 +/- 6 mg/dl, EGP decreased from 2.6 +/- 0.1 to 1.2 +/- 0.2 mg.kg-1.min-1. These results suggest that under marked hyperinsulinemic conditions the brain is the primary director of glucagon release and that it is responsible for approximately 75% of the life-sustaining glucose production.     

Similar dose responsiveness of hepatic glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis to glucagon in vivo

This study was undertaken to determine whether the dose-dependent effect of glucagon on gluconeogenesis parallels its effect on hepatic glycogenolysis in conscious overnight-fasted dogs. Endogenous insulin and glucagon secretion were inhibited by somatostatin (0.8 micrograms X kg-1 X min-1), and intraportal replacement infusions of insulin (213 +/- 28 microU X kg-1 X min-1) and glucagon (0.65 ng X kg-1 X min-1) were given to maintain basal hormone concentrations for 2 h (12 +/- 2 microU/ml and 108 +/- 23 pg/ml, respectively). The glucagon infusion was then increased 2-, 4-, 8-, or 12-fold for 3 h, whereas the rate of insulin infusion was left unchanged. Glucose production (GP) was determined with 3-[3H]glucose, and gluconeogenesis (GNG) was assessed with tracer (U-[14C]alanine conversion to [14C]glucose) and arteriovenous difference (hepatic fractional extraction of alanine, FEA) techniques. Increases in plasma glucagon of 53 +/- 8, 199 +/- 48, 402 +/- 28, and 697 +/- 149 pg/ml resulted in initial (15-30 min) increases in GP of 1.1 +/- 0.4 (N = 4), 4.9 +/- 0.5 (N = 4), 6.5 +/- 0.6 (N = 6), and 7.7 +/- 1.4 (N = 4) mg X kg-1 X min-1, respectively; increases in GNG (approximately 3 h) of 48 +/- 19, 151 +/- 50, 161 +/- 25, and 157 +/- 7%, respectively; and increases in FEA (3 h) of 0.14 +/- 0.07, 0.37 +/- 0.05, 0.42 +/- 0.04, and 0.40 +/- 0.17, respectively. In conclusion, GNG and glycogenolysis were similarly sensitive to stimulation by glucagon in vivo, and the dose-response curves were markedly parallel.     

Hyperglycemia decreases glucose uptake in type I diabetes

It has recently been postulated that hyperglycemia per se may contribute to insulin resistance in diabetes. To examine this possibility directly, we measured glucose uptake after 24 h of hyperglycemia (281 +/- 16 mg/dl) and normoglycemia (99 +/- 6 mg/dl) in 10 type I (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients (age 33 +/- 3 yr, relative body wt 102 +/- 3%) treated with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion. Hyperglycemia was induced by an intravenous glucose infusion, whereas saline was administered during the control day. During both studies the patient received a similar diet and insulin dose. After hyper- and normoglycemia, a primed continuous infusion of insulin (40 mU X m-2 X min-1) was started, and plasma glucose was adjusted to and maintained at 142 +/- 2 and 140 +/- 2 mg/dl, respectively, during 60-160 min of insulin infusion. The rate of glucose uptake after hyperglycemia averaged 8.3 +/- 1.1 mg X kg-1 X min-1, which was lower than the rate after the normoglycemic period (10.1 +/- 1.2 mg X kg-1 X min-1, P less than .001). In conclusion, short-term hyperglycemia reduces glucose uptake in type I diabetic patients. Thus, part of the glucose or insulin resistance in these patients may be caused by hyperglycemia per se.     

Effect of glyburide on glycemic control, insulin requirement, and glucose metabolism in insulin-treated diabetic patients

Glycemic control and glucose metabolism were examined in 5 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and 8 insulin-treated non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients before and after 2 mo of therapy with glyburide (20 mg/day). Glycemic control was assessed by daily insulin requirement, 24-h plasma glucose profile, glucosuria, and glycosylated hemoglobin. Insulin secretion was evaluated by glucagon stimulation of C-peptide secretion, and insulin sensitivity was determined by a two-step euglycemic insulin clamp (1 and 10 mU X kg-1. X min-1) performed with indirect calorimetry and [3-3H]glucose. In the IDDM patients, the addition of glyburide produced no change in daily insulin dose (54 +/- 8 vs. 53 +/- 7 U/day), mean 24-h glucose level (177 +/- 20 vs. 174 +/- 29 mg/dl), glucosuria (20 +/- 6 vs. 35 +/- 12 g/day) or glycosylated hemoglobin (10.1 +/- 1.0 vs. 9.5 +/- 0.7%). Furthermore, there was no improvement in basal hepatic glucose production (2.1 +/- 0.2 vs. 2.4 +/- 0.1 mg X kg-1 X min-1), suppression of hepatic glucose production by low- and high-dose insulin infusion, or in any measure of total, oxidative, or nonoxidative glucose metabolism in the basal state or during insulin infusion. C-peptide levels were undetectable (less than 0.01 pmol/ml) in the basal state and after glucagon infusion and remained undetectable after glyburide therapy. In contrast to the IDDM patients, the insulin-treated NIDDM subjects exhibited significant reductions in daily insulin requirement (72 +/- 6 vs. 58 +/- 9 U/day), mean 24-h plasma glucose concentration (153 +/- 10 vs. 131 +/- 5 mg/dl), glucosuria (14 +/- 5 vs. 4 +/- 1 g/day), and glycosylated hemoglobin (10.3 +/- 0.7 vs. 8.0 +/- 0.4%) after glyburide treatment (all P less than or equal to .05). However, there was no change in basal hepatic glucose production (1.7 +/- 0.1 vs. 1.7 +/- 0.1 mg X kg-1 X min-1), suppression of hepatic glucose production by insulin, or insulin sensitivity during the two-step insulin-clamp study. Both basal (0.14 +/- 0.05 vs. 0.32 +/- 0.05 pmol/ml, P less than .05) and glucagon-stimulated (0.24 +/- 0.07 vs. 0.44 +/- 0.09 pmol/ml) C-peptide levels rose after 2 mo of glyburide therapy and both were correlated with the decrease in insulin requirement (basal: r = .65, P = .08; glucagon stimulated: r = .93, P less than .001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Insulin dose-response characteristics for suppression of glycerol release and conversion to glucose in humans

To compare the dose-response characteristics for suppression of lipolysis and suppression of glucose production by insulin, 13 normal nonobese individuals were infused with insulin at rates of 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, and 1.6 mU X kg-1 X min-1 while normoglycemia was maintained with the glucose clamp technique. Glucose appearance and glycerol appearance (taken as index of lipolysis) were measured isotopically with simultaneous infusions of 3-[3H]glucose and U-[14C]glycerol. Baseline glucose and glycerol rates of appearance were 14 +/- 0.5 and 1.7 +/- 0.2 mumol X kg-1 X min-1, respectively. Approximately 3% of plasma glucose originated from glycerol, and this accounted for approximately 50% of glycerol disposal. During the insulin infusions, arterial insulin (basal, 9.8 +/- 0.6 microU/ml) increased to 14 +/- 0.5, 20 +/- 0.5, 31 +/- 1, 58 +/- 2, and 104 +/- 6 microU/ml; calculated portal venous insulin (basal, 24 +/- 2 microU/ml) increased to 26 +/- 1, 32 +/- 3, 70 +/- 4, and 115 +/- 6 microU/ml. The rate of glucose appearance was suppressed 100%, whereas the rate of appearance of glycerol was maximally suppressed only 85%. Nevertheless, the insulin concentration that produced half-maximal suppression of glucose appearance was twice as great as that required for half-maximal suppression of glycerol appearance (26 +/- 2 vs. 13 +/- 2 microU/ml, P less than .001). Insulin decreased both the absolute rate of glycerol conversion to plasma glucose and the percent of glycerol disposal appearing in plasma glucose (both P less than .001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Effects of prolonged pulsatile hyperinsulinemia in humans. Enhancement of insulin sensitivity

Prolonged near-physiological pulsatile insulin infusion has a greater hypoglycemic effect than continuous insulin infusion. We have previously shown that continuous hyperinsulinemia induces insulin insensitivity. This study examines the mechanisms responsible for the greater hypoglycemic effect of pulsatile insulin administration, in particular, whether prolonged pulsatile hyperinsulinemia induces insulin insensitivity. Basally and 1 h after cessation of a 20-h pulsatile infusion of insulin (0.5 mU.kg-1.min-1), eight nondiabetic human subjects were assessed for 1) glucose turnover with [3-3H]glucose, 2) insulin sensitivity by minimal-model analysis of intravenous glucose tolerance tests, and 3) monocyte insulin-receptor binding. The time-averaged plasma insulin levels were 30 +/- 5 mU/L (mean +/- SE) during the infusion, which was similar to the levels achieved in our previous continuous hyperinsulinemia study. However, the average rate of glucose infusion to maintain euglycemia was 55% greater than in the previous study. Hepatic glucose production was -5.2 +/- 1.4 mumol.kg-1.min-1 during the infusion but returned to preinfusion levels 1 h after the infusion was stopped. Insulin sensitivity (Sl) and glucose tolerance (rate of glucose disappearance, Kg) showed changes opposite in direction to our previous continuous hyperinsulinemia study (pre- vs. postinfusion Kg 1.5 +/- 0.1 vs. 1.7 +/- 0.2 min-1 x 10(2), NS; pre- vs. postinfusion Sl 8.4 +/- 2.3 vs. 11.8 +/- 3.7 min-1.mU-1.L x 10(4), P less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Metformin normalizes nonoxidative glucose metabolism in insulin-resistant normoglycemic first-degree relatives of patients with NIDDM.

Many first-degree relatives of patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) are characterized by insulin resistance. Because metformin improves peripheral insulin sensitivity, we examined the acute effect of metformin and placebo on glucose and lipid metabolism in nine insulin-resistant first-degree relatives of NIDDM patients with the euglycemic insulin-clamp technique combined with indirect calorimetry and infusion of [3-3H]glucose. Either placebo or 500 mg metformin was taken in random order twice the day before and once 1 h before the clamp. Nine healthy individuals without family history of diabetes served as control subjects. Basal plasma glucose was normal and did not differ between the metformin and the placebo study (4.8 +/- 0.2 vs. 5.0 +/- 0.2 mM) and neither did basal hepatic glucose production (10.59 +/- 0.54 vs. 10.21 +/- 0.80 mumol.kg-1.min-1). Insulin-stimulated glucose disposal was significantly increased by 25% after metformin compared with placebo (26.67 +/- 2.87 vs. 21.31 +/- 1.73 mumol.kg-1.min-1, P less than 0.05). The enhancement in glucose utilization was primarily due to normalization of nonoxidative glucose disposal (from 8.02 +/- 1.35 to 15.07 +/- 2.69 mumol.kg-1.min-1, P less than 0.01, vs. 15.65 +/- 2.72 mumol.kg-1.min-1 in control subjects). In contrast, glucose oxidation during the clamp was slightly lower after metformin compared with both placebo (11.59 +/- 0.83 vs. 13.30 +/- 1.00 mumol.kg-1.min-1, P = 0.06) and healthy control subjects (15.68 +/- 1.38 mumol.kg-1.min-1, P less than 0.05). We conclude that acutely administered metformin improves peripheral insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant normoglycemic individuals primarily by stimulating the nonoxidative pathway of glucose metabolism.     

Contribution of insulin resistance to catabolic effect of prednisone on leucine metabolism in humans

To determine the role insulin resistance may play in the catabolic effect of high-dose prednisone therapy, healthy volunteers were studied on four occasions with the hormone-clamp technique at two insulin infusion rates. Subjects were studied after 5 days of prednisone (60 mg/day) or no steroid treatment and were infused with somatostatin, glucagon, growth hormone, [3H]glucose, [14C]leucine, and insulin (0.1 or 0.2 mU.kg-1.min-1). At each rate of insulin infusion, the rate of leucine oxidation was increased (P less than .001) after steroid treatment. Leucine flux, an indicator of whole-body proteolysis, was similar in the presence or absence of steroid treatment (2.26 +/- 0.08 vs. 2.13 +/- 0.04 mumol.kg-1.min-1, respectively) at the lower rate of insulin infusion but was higher during steroid treatment (2.18 +/- 0.06 vs. 1.84 +/- 0.13 mumol.kg-1.min-1) at the 0.2-mU.kg-1.min-1 insulin infusion. Steroid pretreatment had no significant effect on the nonoxidative rates of leucine disappearance. These data provide strong evidence that the protein wasting associated with glucocorticosteroid therapy is in part the result of steroid-induced resistance to the antiproteolytic effect of insulin and an increase in the oxidation (and thus wasting) of one essential amino acid, leucine.     

Role of gluconeogenesis in sustaining glucose production during hypoglycemia caused by continuous insulin infusion in conscious dogs

The roles of glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis in sustaining glucose production during insulin-induced hypoglycemia were assessed in overnight-fasted conscious dogs. Insulin was infused intraportally for 3 h at 5 mU.kg-1.min-1 in five animals, and glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis were measured by using a combination of tracer [( 3-3H]glucose and [U-14C]alanine) and hepatic arteriovenous difference techniques. In response to the elevated insulin level (263 +/- 39 microU/ml), plasma glucose level fell (41 +/- 3 mg/dl), and levels of the counterregulatory hormones glucagon, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol increased (91 +/- 29 to 271 +/- 55 pg/ml, 83 +/- 26 to 2356 +/- 632 pg/ml, 128 +/- 31 to 596 +/- 81 pg/ml, and 1.5 +/- 0.4 to 11.1 +/- 1.0 micrograms/dl, respectively; for all, P less than .05). Glucose production fell initially and then doubled (3.1 +/- 0.3 to 6.1 +/- 0.5 mg.kg-1.min-1; P less than .05) by 60 min. Net hepatic gluconeogenic precursor uptake increased approximately eightfold by the end of the hypoglycemic period. By the same time, the efficiency with which the liver converted the gluconeogenic precursors to glucose rose twofold. Five control experiments in which euglycemia was maintained by glucose infusion during insulin administration (5.0 mU.kg-1.min-1) provided baseline data. Glycogenolysis accounted for 69-88% of glucose production during the 1st h of hypoglycemia, whereas gluconeogenesis accounted for 48-88% of glucose production during the 3rd h of hypoglycemia. These data suggest that gluconeogenesis is the key process for the normal counterregulatory response to prolonged and marked hypoglycemia.     

The Anabolic Effect of Epidural Blockade Requires Energy and Substrate Supply

Background: The authors examined the hypothesis that continuous thoracic epidural blockade with local anesthetic and opioid, in contrast to patient-controlled intravenous analgesia with morphine, stimulates postoperative whole body protein synthesis during combined provision of energy (4 mg [middle dot] kg-1 [middle dot] min-1 glucose) and amino acids (0.02 ml [middle dot] kg-1 [middle dot] min-1 Travasol(TM) 10%, equivalent to approximately 2.9 g [middle dot] kg-1 [middle dot] day-1).

Methods: Sixteen patients were randomly assigned to undergo a 6-h stable isotope infusion study (3 h fasted, 3 h feeding) on the second day after colorectal surgery performed with or without perioperative epidural blockade. Protein synthesis, breakdown and oxidation, glucose production, and clearance were measured by l-[1-13C]leucine and [6,6-2H2]glucose.

Results: Epidural blockade did not affect protein and glucose metabolism in the fasted state. Parenteral alimentation decreased endogenous protein breakdown and glucose production to the same extent in both groups. Administration of glucose and amino acids was associated with an increase in whole body protein synthesis that was modified by the type of analgesia, i.e., protein synthesis increased by 13% in the epidural group (from 93.3 +/- 16.6 to 104.5 +/- 11.1 [mu]mol [middle dot] kg-1 [middle dot] h-1) and by 4% in the patient-controlled analgesia group (from 90.0 +/- 27.1 to 92.9 +/- 14.8 [mu]mol [middle dot] kg-1 [middle dot] h-1;P = 0.054).     

Impact of insulin deficiency on glucose fluxes and muscle glucose metabolism during exercise.

Exercise in the insulin-deficient diabetic state is characterized by a further increase in elevated circulating glucose and NEFA levels and by excessive counterregulatory hormone levels. The aim of this study was to distinguish the direct glucoregulatory effects of insulinopenia during exercise from the indirect effects that result from the metabolic and hormonal environment that accompanies insulin deficiency. For this purpose, dogs underwent 90 min of treadmill exercise during SRIF infusion with (SRIF + INS, n = 8) or without (SRIF - INS, n = 6) intraportal insulin replacement. Glucagon was not replaced, thus allowing assessment of the direct effect of insulinopenia at the liver independent of the potentiation of glucagon action. Glucose was infused to maintain euglycemia. Hepatic glucose production (Ra); glucose utilization (Rd); and LGlcU, LGlcE, and LGlcO were assessed with tracers ([3H]glucose, [14C]glucose) and arteriovenous differences. With exercise, insulin fell from 66 +/- 6 to 42 +/- 6 pM in the SRIF + INS group, and was undetectable in the SRIF - INS group. Plasma glucose was 6.33 +/- 0.38 and 6.26 +/- 0.30 mM at rest in the SRIF + INS and SRIF - INS groups, respectively, and was unchanged with exercise. Ra rose from 7.5 +/- 2.3 to 16.5 +/- 2.2 mumol.kg-1.min-1 and 9.1 +/- 2.0 to 31.4 +/- 3.9 mumol.kg-1.min-1 with exercise in the SRIF + INS and SRIF - INS groups, whereas Rd rose from 19.5 +/- 2.0 to 46.8 +/- 3.9 mumol.kg-1.min-1 and 15.1 +/- 1.8 to 29.9 +/- 3.3 mumol.kg-1.min-1. LGlcU rose from 36 +/- 9 to 112 +/- 25 mumol/min and 15 +/- 4 to 59 +/- 13 mumol/min and LGlcO rose from 5 +/- 2 to 61 +/- 12 mumol/min and 5 +/- 3 to 32 +/- 9 mumol/min with exercise in the SRIF+INS and SRIF-INS groups, respectively. Arterial levels and limb balances of NEFAs and glycerol were similar in the two groups. In summary, during exercise: 1) marked insulinopenia attenuates the increases in muscle glucose uptake and oxidation by approximately 50%, independent of changes in circulating metabolic substrate levels; 2) substantial increases in muscle glucose uptake and oxidation are, however, still present even in the absence of detectable insulin levels; and 3) insulinopenia facilitates the increase in Ra, independent of the potentiation of basal glucagon action. In conclusion, marked insulinopenia contributes directly to the exacerbation of glucoregulation during exercise in the diabetic state by limiting the rises in glucose uptake and metabolism and by enhancing hepatic glucose production.     

Basal glucagon replacement in chronic glucagon deficiency increases insulin resistance

To evaluate the role of glucagon in insulin-mediated glucose metabolism, we studied four men and four women, ranging in age from 30-73 yr (mean +/- SEM, 54 +/- 5) who had undergone complete pancreatic resection for cancer or chronic pancreatitis 16-58 mo previously. The patients had undetectable C-peptide levels and established lack of biologically active 3500 mol wt glucagon. Euglycemic insulin clamp studies were performed with a 40 mU X m-2 X min-1 insulin infusion in the basal, post-absorptive, insulin-withdrawn state, before and during the last 3 h of a 72-h glucagon replacement-dose infusion (1.25 ng X kg-1 X min-1). In four patients, hepatic glucose production was determined by a primed-constant infusion of 3-[3H]glucose. Monocyte insulin-binding studies, pre- and postglucagon, were performed in all patients. The 72-h glucagon infusion, resulting in mean plasma glucagon levels of 124 +/- 7 pg/ml, caused a significant rise in the mean plasma glucose level (249 +/- 8 versus 170 +/- 13 mg/dl preglucagon) and a sixfold increase in mean 24-h glucose excretion. Both with and without glucagon, euglycemic hyperinsulinemia achieved identical and complete suppression of hepatic glucose production. The mean glucose utilization rate (4.70 +/- 0.36 mg X kg-1 X min-1 preglucagon) was significantly decreased by glucagon replacement (3.83 +/- 0.31 mg X kg-1 X min-1, P less than 0.02). Mean glucose clearance was also diminished with glucagon (4.49 +/- 0.32 versus 5.73 +/- 0.45 ml X kg-1 X min-1 preglucagon, P less than 0.02).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors impair hepatic glucose production in response to glucagon and epinephrine stimulation

To investigate whether inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis affects hormone-induced glucose dynamics, we measured glucose turnover in response to glucagon alone (5 ng . kg-1 min-1) or combined with epinephrine (0.1 microgram . kg-1 min-1) in conscious trained dogs (N = 6) on three separate occasions in each animal: (1) during a control saline infusion, (2) during infusion of indomethacin, and (3) during infusion of sodium salicylate. Glucose production (Ra) and utilization (Rd) were determined by isotope dilution using the nonrecycling label 3-3H glucose. In controls, glucagon levels (IRG) rose from a basal of 44 +/- 12 to 260 +/- 40 pg/ml (mean +/- SEM) during glucagon infusion; basal epinephrine levels (EPI) of 150 +/- 20 pg/ml were unaffected by glucagon infusion but rose four- to fivefold during combined glucagon/epinephrine infusion. Plasma glucose rose transiently from 95 +/- 1 to a peak of 136 +/- 13 mg/dl after 20 min of glucagon; infusion of EPI resulted in a second glycemic response with a peak of 148 +/- 9 mg/dl. Ra increased transiently from 2.9 +/- 0.2 to a peak of 7.9 +/- 1.4 mg . kg-1 min-1 during glucagon alone with a second rise to 6.2 +/- 0.8 mg . kg-1 min-1 10 min after beginning EPI. With glucagon alone, Rd paralleled Ra but addition of EPI resulted in a relative fall in Rd. Insulin (IRI) rose from 9 +/- 1 microU/ml to 29 +/- 6 microU/ml with glucagon but IRI fell despite the second glycemic response during EPI. When either indomethacin or salicylate was infused, basal IRI, IRG, EPI, glucose, Ra and Rd were unaffected and were similar to controls. Although plasma levels of IRG and EPI during glucagon or glucagon plus epinephrine infusion were also similar to controls, the glycemic response was reduced (P less than 0.05). This attenuation of glycemic response was due to a reduction of stimulated Ra (P less than 0.05) and not to an increase in Rd. Changes in IRI paralleled the reduction in glycemic response. Thus, both indomethacin and salicylate blunt the glycemic response to glucagon and glucagon plus epinephrine by attenuating glucose production and not by enhancing glucose utilization or insulin secretion. These results with two prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors suggest that prostaglandins modulate the hepatic effects of glucagon and epinephrine.     

Evidence for dual control mechanism regulating hepatic glucose output in nondiabetic men

We previously reported a fall in hepatic glucose output (HGO) during sleep accompanied by reductions in glucose utilization (Rd) and free fatty acids (FFAs). This study was undertaken to determine the potential role of changes in Rd and FFA on HGO in nondiabetic men. To determine if the fall in HGO during sleep could be reversed by FFA elevation, seven nondiabetic men underwent [3-3H]glucose infusions from 2200 to 0800, with heparin (90 mU.kg-1.min-1) added at 0200. Glucose appearance (Ra) fell from 11.7 +/- 1.1 at 2430 to 8.9 +/- 0.8 mumol.kg-1.min-1 (P less than 0.05) at 0200. The fall in Ra was associated with decreases in FFA (0.57 +/- 0.10 to 0.48 +/- 0.07 mM) and glycerol (0.08 +/- 0.01 to 0.06 +/- 0.01 mM). Infusion of heparin significantly increased FFA and glycerol (1.09 +/- 0.21 and 0.11 +/- 0.01 mM, respectively, P less than 0.01) and resulted in a significant fall in plasma alanine, suggesting that gluconeogenesis had been increased. However, rates of glucose turnover were indistinguishable from overnight studies without heparin. In additional studies (n = 6), intralipid and heparin-induced FFA elevation (from 0.61 +/- 0.07 to 0.95 +/- 0.05 mM, P less than 0.01) stimulated gluconeogenesis ([U-14C]alanine to glucose) twofold (188 +/- 22% increase compared to 114 +/- 6% in saline control studies, P less than 0.01). However, despite increasing gluconeogenesis, overall HGO did not change (10.6 +/- 0.5 vs. 10.7 +/- 0.6 mumol.kg-1.min-1) during lipid infusion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)