Sensitivity of glucose uptake and lipolysis of white adipocytes of the rat to insulin and effects of some metabolites

Abstract

Insulin increased glucose uptake and inhibited lipolysis in white adipocytes of the rat over the same concentration range of the hormone: the half-maximal effects were observed at approximately 10 .mu.units of insulin/ml. Thus, contrary to previus reports, no difference in sensitivity of the 2 processes to insulin could be found, which suggests that both these effects of insulin are important in increasing the rate of glucose utilization after a meal. Adenosine deaminase, which lowers the concentration of adenosine in the incubation medium, decreased the sensitivity of both processes (lipolysis and glucose uptake) to insulin; this suggests that adenosine increases the sensitivity of both processes. Similarly, lactate and 3-hydroxybutyrate increased the sensitivity of both processes (to the same extent) to insulin. This increased sensitivity will probably improve the response (of adipose tissue) to insulin on refeeding after a prolonged period of starvation (when the hydroxybutyrate concentration is high) and after a short burst of exercise, when the blood lactate concentration is high and when large amounts of glucose are produced from lactate via gluconeogenesis in the liver.