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D C Simonson

Publications and source records attributed to D C Simonson.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Effect of insulin and plasma amino acid concentrations on leucine metabolism in man. Role of substrate availability on estimates of whole body protein synthesis.

We examined the effect of insulin and plasma amino acid concentrations on leucine kinetics in 15 healthy volunteers (age 22 +/- 2 yr) using the euglycemic insulin clamp technique and an infusion of [1-14C]leucine. Four different experimental conditions were examined: (a) study one, high insulin with reduced plasma amino acid concentrations; (b) study two, high insulin with maintenance of basal plasma amino acid concentrations; (c) study three, high insulin with elevated plasma amino acid concentrations; and (d) study four, basal insulin with elevated plasma amino acid concentrations. Data were analyzed using both the plasma leucine and alpha-ketoisocaproate (the alpha-ketoacid of leucine) specific activities. In study one total leucine flux, leucine oxidation, and nonoxidative leucine disposal (an index of whole body protein synthesis) all decreased (P less than 0.01) regardless of the isotope model utilized. In study two leucine flux did not change, while leucine oxidation increased (P less than 0.01) and nonoxidative leucine disposal was maintained at the basal rate; endogenous leucine flux (an index of whole body protein degradation) decreased (P less than 0.01). In study three total leucine flux, leucine oxidation, and nonoxidative leucine disposal all increased significantly (P less than 0.01). In study four total leucine flux, leucine oxidation, and nonoxidative leucine disposal all increased (P less than 0.001), while endogenous leucine flux decreased (P less than 0.001). We conclude that: (a) hyperinsulinemia alone decreases plasma leucine concentration and inhibits endogenous leucine flux (protein breakdown), leucine oxidation, and nonoxidative leucine disposal (protein synthesis); (b) hyperaminoacidemia, whether in combination with hyperinsulinemia or with maintained basal insulin levels decreases endogenous leucine flux and stimulates both leucine oxidation and nonoxidative leucine disposal.

Adult↗

Different effects of glyburide and glipizide on insulin secretion and hepatic glucose production in normal and NIDDM subjects.

Glyburide (GB) and glipizide (GZ) differ in their pharmacokinetics, but it is not known whether they also differ in mode of action. To examine this question, 10 young healthy subjects and 6 non-insulin-dependent diabetic (NIDDM) patients participated in each of three studies: 1) infusion of saline for 120 min followed by a 100-min hyperglycemic (125 mg/dl) clamp; 2) 120-min primed continuous infusion of GZ followed by a 100-min hyperglycemic clamp; and 3) 120-min primed continuous infusion of GB followed by a 100-min hyperglycemic clamp. The GB and GZ infusions were continued throughout the hyperglycemic clamp. Similar plasma concentrations of GB and GZ were obtained in both groups. All studies were performed with [3-3H]glucose to allow quantification of hepatic glucose production. When administered under basal conditions of glycemia, the acute phase (0-10 min) of plasma insulin and C-peptide increase in both control and NIDDM subjects was twice as great with GZ compared with GB (P less than .01). During the hyperglycemic-clamp studies performed in normal subjects, both GB and GZ increased the first- (1.6-fold) and second- (2.2-fold) phase plasma insulin responses more than hyperglycemia alone. During the hyperglycemic clamp in NIDDM subjects, the first-phase plasma insulin response was absent, and the second-phase insulin response was markedly impaired. Neither GB nor GZ improved first-phase insulin secretion in the NIDDM patients. In both NIDDM and control subjects, the effects of hyperglycemia and sulfonylurea drugs (both GB and GZ) on the first- and second-phase plasma insulin responses were simply additive.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

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)

Adult↗

Rate of glucose fall does not affect counterregulatory hormone responses to hypoglycemia in normal and diabetic humans.

To test the hypothesis that variations in rate of glucose fall influence counterregulatory hormone responses to hypoglycemia, we have modified the glucose-clamp technique to provide a reproducible hypoglycemic stimulus in normal and type I diabetic subjects that varied only in the rate of glucose fall. Responsive elevations in plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine and in growth hormone, glucagon, and cortisol were not significantly affected by a ninefold change in the rate at which plasma glucose was lowered from 83 +/- 1 to 50 +/- 1 mg/dl in normal subjects. Similarly, wide variation in the rate of fall produced no substantive differences in counterregulatory hormone responses to hypoglycemia in diabetic subjects. The plasma glucose threshold at which epinephrine release began, determined from the slow-fall studies, was 63 +/- 3 mg/dl in normal subjects but exhibited a wide range (48-74 mg/dl). Similar values were found in the diabetics. Thresholds for growth hormone, cortisol, and glucagon were slightly lower, ranging from 45 to 68 mg/dl in the normals. Our data suggest that counterregulatory hormone responses to hypoglycemia are triggered by the glucose level per se and not by its rate of fall. Furthermore, individual differences in glucose thresholds for epinephrine release may contribute to variations in the glucose level associated with hypoglycemic symptoms.

Adult↗

Impaired insulin action in puberty. A contributing factor to poor glycemic control in adolescents with diabetes.

Patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus often have poor metabolic control during puberty. To determine whether puberty is associated with decreased insulin-stimulated glucose metabolism, we compared the results of euglycemic insulin-clamp studies in adults and prepubertal and pubertal children with and without insulin-dependent diabetes. In nondiabetic pubertal children, insulin-stimulated glucose metabolism (201 +/- 12 mg per square meter of body surface area per minute) was sharply reduced, as compared with that of prepubertal children and adults (316 +/- 34 and 290 +/- 21 mg per square meter, respectively; P less than 0.01), despite comparable hyperinsulinemia (insulin levels of 80 to 90 microU per milliliter). Similarly, the response to insulin was 25 to 30 percent lower in the diabetic pubertal children than in the diabetic prepubertal children (P less than 0.05) and adults (P = 0.07). At each stage of development, the stimulating effect of insulin on glucose metabolism was decreased by 33 to 42 percent in the children with diabetes (P less than 0.01). In all the groups of children studied, the response to insulin was inversely correlated with mean 24-hour levels of growth hormone (r = -0.52, P = 0.01). Among the diabetic children, the glycosylated hemoglobin levels were substantially higher in the pubertal children than in the prepubertal children (P less than 0.02), although the daily insulin doses tended to be higher. These data suggest that insulin resistance occurs during puberty in both normal children and children with diabetes. The combined adverse effects of puberty and diabetes on insulin action may help explain why control of glycemia is so difficult to achieve in adolescent patients.

Adolescent↗

The effect of selective beta adrenergic blockade on glucose-induced thermogenesis in man.

We have previously shown that the increase in energy expenditure following glucose/insulin infusion is, in large part, mediated by the sympathetic nervous system and that this sympathetic component can be blocked by the nonselective beta-1, beta-2 antagonist propranolol. To examine which beta adrenergic receptor mediates this thermogenic response, we performed euglycemic insulin clamp studies in eight healthy control subjects with and without metoprolol at a dose known to block only the beta-1 adrenergic receptor. Basal glucose oxidation and energy expenditure were similar in the control and metoprolol groups. During the last hour of the insulin clamp study, glucose oxidation (3.06 +/- 0.25 v 2.92 +/- 0.21 mg/kg X min), total body glucose uptake (8.17 +/- 0.70 v 7.13 +/- 0.49 mg/kg X min), and nonoxidative glucose uptake (5.11 +/- 0.60 v 4.21 +/- 0.44 mg/kg X min) were not different in the control compared to the metoprolol group. However, the increment in energy expenditure was inhibited by 64% during metoprolol infusion (0.04 +/- 0.01 v 0.11 +/- 0.02 kcal/min, P less than 0.01). Glucose/insulin-induced thermogenesis was similarly reduced by metoprolol (2.56 +/- 0.81 v 5.04 +/- 0.74%, P less than 0.01). These results are quantitatively quite similar to those observed with propranolol. We conclude that the beta adrenergic nervous system and, specifically, the beta-1 receptor mediates the thermogenic response to glucose/insulin infusion.

Adult↗

Comparison of thermogenic effect of fructose and glucose in normal humans.

After nutrient ingestion there is an increase in energy expenditure that has been referred to as dietary-induced thermogenesis. In the present study we have employed indirect calorimetry to compare the increment in energy expenditure after the ingestion of 75 g of glucose or fructose in 17 healthy volunteers. During the 4 h after glucose ingestion the plasma insulin concentration increased by 33 +/- 4 microU/ml and this was associated with a significant increase in carbohydrate oxidation and decrement in lipid oxidation. Energy expenditure increased by 0.08 +/- 0.01 kcal/min. When fructose was ingested, the plasma insulin concentration increased by only 8 +/- 2 microU/ml vs. glucose. Nonetheless, the increments in carbohydrate oxidation and decrement in lipid oxidation were significantly greater than with glucose. The increment in energy expenditure was also greater with fructose. When the mean increment in plasma insulin concentration after fructose was reproduced using the insulin clamp technique, the increase in carbohydrate oxidation and decrement in lipid oxidation were markedly reduced compared with the fructose-ingestion study; energy expenditure failed to increase above basal levels. To examine the role of the adrenergic nervous system in fructose-induced thermogenesis, fructose ingestion was also performed during beta-adrenergic blockade with propranolol. The increase in energy expenditure during fructose plus propranolol was lower than with fructose ingestion alone. These results indicate that the stimulation of thermogenesis after carbohydrate ingestion is related to an augmentation of cellular metabolism and is not dependent on an increase in the plasma insulin concentration per se.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

The design and structure of clinical research information systems. Implications for data retrieval and statistical analyses.

Data management software designed to support clinical data bases typically provides the user with the ability to "enter" and "retrieve" information according to simple user-specified criteria. In the medical research environment, such data base management systems can be self-limiting unless the user has carefully structured the data base schema to be consistent with subsequent statistical procedures used for analysis. For statistical purposes, the data base schema must be configured such that the dependent and independent variables are structurally situated to facilitate the use of statistical application programs. Furthermore, the analysis of time-oriented, prospective studies often requires the data base to be "relational." This may be inconsistent with data collection procedures that result in "hierarchical" schemata. Methodology for ensuring compatibility between the data base schema and subsequent statistical analyses is presented using examples derived from a multicenter clinical trial of diabetes and an observational data bank approach to disease surveillance in rheumatology.

Computers↗

Hepatic and peripheral insulin resistance following streptozotocin-induced insulin deficiency in the dog.

Insulin resistance and insulin deficiency are both present in many patients with diabetes mellitus. We tested the hypothesis that insulin resistance can evolve from a primary lesion of the beta-cell secretory function. Insulin-mediated glucose uptake (insulin clamp), endogenous glucose production, and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (hyperglycemic clamp) were measured in awake dogs before and four to six weeks after streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus. Streptozotocin (30 mg/kg) resulted in a significant rise in the mean fasting plasma glucose concentration from 104 +/- 2 mg/100 mL to 200 +/- 34 mg/100 mL, (P less than 0.05), and a slight decrease in the mean fasting plasma insulin concentration (from 21 +/- 2 microU/mL to 15 +/- 2 microU/mL). Under conditions of steady-state hyperglycemia (+75 mg/100 mL hyperglycemic clamp, insulin secretion was reduced by 75% in the streptozotocin-treated dogs (P less than 0.025), and the total amount of glucose metabolized decreased from 13.56 +/- 1.04 to 4.74 +/- 0.70 mg/min X kg (P less than 0.001). In the postabsorptive state, endogenous glucose production was slightly, although not significantly, higher in the diabetic dogs (3.05 +/- 0.46 v 2.51 +/- 0.22 mg/min . kg), while the glucose clearance rate was 35% lower (P less than 0.001). When the plasma insulin concentration was increased to approximately 45 microU/mL (insulin clamp) while holding plasma glucose constant at the respective fasting levels (99 +/- 1 and 186 +/- 30 mg/100 mL), endogenous glucose production was completely suppressed in control dogs but suppressed by only 51% (1.46 +/- 0.37 mg/min . kg, P less than 0.025) in diabetic animals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Clinical predictors of retinopathy and its progression in patients with type I diabetes during CSII or conventional insulin treatment.

Data from 70 type I diabetic patients with nonproliferative retinopathy participating in a multicenter clinical trial of control and complications were analyzed to test for associations of clinical variables with baseline levels and 8-mo changes in retinopathy. Predictor variables included age, duration of diabetes, systolic blood pressure, inpatient and outpatient plasma glucose levels, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1), M-values, serum cholesterol, serum triglycerides, and creatinine clearance. Retinopathy was assessed by fundus photography and graded at the Fundus Photograph Reading Center according to a detailed protocol. For the entire group, baseline retinopathy was positively correlated (P less than 0.05) with baseline systolic blood pressure, plasma glucose, HbA1, serum cholesterol, and duration of disease and negatively correlated with creatinine clearance. Conversely, during treatment, progression of retinopathy was negatively correlated (P less than 0.05) with mean levels during treatment of plasma glucose, HbA1, M-values, serum cholesterol, and with changes during treatment in plasma glucose and serum triglycerides. Two-group and three-group multivariate classification analysis of progression of retinopathy (improved or unchanged versus worsening--mild or moderate) indicated lower plasma glucose as the single best predictor of worsening of retinopathy (P less than 0.05), correctly classifying 71% of patients with positive progression. Decreased creatinine clearance during therapy was found to be the best discriminator between mild and moderate progression. Other multivariate models yielded specificity values of up to 71% and sensitivity values of up to 92%. We conclude that associations among clinical predictors and retinopathy during short-term glycemic control differ strikingly from those at baseline.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Blood Glucose↗

Improved insulin sensitivity in patients with type I diabetes mellitus after CSII.

Tissue sensitivity to insulin was studied using the euglycemic insulin clamp technique (delta plasma insulin above basal 90 microU/ml) in eight patients with type I diabetes mellitus (IDDM) before and after 4-8 mo of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) and in 36 age-matched control subjects. Institution of CSII was associated with significant improvements in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1) (11.2 +/- 0.6% versus 8.1 +/- 0.4%; P less than 0.001) and mean 24-h plasma glucose concentrations (239 +/- 23 mg/dl versus 106 +/- 18 mg/dl; P less than 0.001). Insulin-mediated glucose metabolism in the diabetic patients pre-CSII (3.92 +/- 0.36 mg/kg X min) was reduced by 44% compared with controls (7.03 +/- 0.22 mg/kg X min; P less than 0.001). After 4-8 mo of improved glycemic control, improved tissue sensitivity to insulin was observed (5.33 +/- 0.75 mg/kg X min; P less than 0.05 versus pre-CSII). However, insulin-mediated glucose utilization still remained significantly below control values (P less than 0.01). During hyperinsulinemia, hepatic glucose production (3-3H-glucose) was suppressed by over 90% in diabetic patients (pre- and post-CSII) and in control subjects. We conclude that near-normalization of glucose metabolism with CSII partially corrects, but does not restore to normal, insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in IDDM. Our failure to totally reverse the impaired response of peripheral tissues to insulin in IDDM patients may be attributed to inadequate metabolic correction, the peripheral route of insulin administration, or a primary defect in glucose metabolism.

Blood Glucose↗

Intensive insulin therapy reduces counterregulatory hormone responses to hypoglycemia in patients with type I diabetes.

Counterregulatory hormone responses to hypoglycemia were examined in six healthy controls and in six patients with type I diabetes before and after 4 to 8 months of insulin pump treatment. The insulin clamp technique was used to provide an identical hypoglycemic stimulus (about 50 mg/dL) in each study group. Before pump treatment, the release of counterregulatory hormones (except glucagon) during the hypoglycemic period was not significantly different in diabetics from that in normal controls. However, when values before and after pump treatment in diabetics were compared, there were significant reductions in epinephrine (304 +/- 70 and 127 +/- 43 pg/mL; p less than 0.01), growth hormone (45 +/- 12 and 18 +/- 5 ng/mL; p less than 0.05), and cortisol (20 +/- 3 and 10 +/- 2 micrograms/dL; p less than 0.01) levels during hypoglycemia. Defective glucagon release during hypoglycemia in the diabetics was not corrected by pump treatment. Intensive insulin treatment of patients with type I diabetes causes a generalized reduction in counterregulatory hormone release after a moderate fall in blood glucose levels. This reduction may impair glucose counterregulation and diminish perception of hypoglycemia, thereby increasing the risk of hypoglycemic episodes.

Adult↗

Effect of beta and alpha adrenergic blockade on glucose-induced thermogenesis in man.

After intravenous glucose/insulin infusion there is an increase in oxygen consumption and energy expenditure that has been referred to as thermogenesis. To examine the contribution of the beta and alpha adrenergic nervous system to this thermogenic response, 12 healthy volunteers participated in three studies: (a) euglycemic insulin (plasma insulin approximately 100 microunits/ml) clamp study (n = 12); (b) insulin clamp study after beta adrenergic blockade with intravenous propranolol for 1 h (n = 12); (c) insulin clamp study after alpha adrenergic blockade with phentolamine for 1 h (n = 5). During the control insulin clamp study total glucose uptake, glucose oxidation and nonoxidative glucose uptake averaged 7.85 +/- 0.47, 2.62 +/- 0.22, and 5.23 +/- 0.51 mg/kg X min. After propranolol infusion, insulin-mediated glucose uptake was significantly reduced, 6.89 +/- 0.41 (P less than 0.02). This decrease was primarily the result of a decrease in glucose oxidation (1.97 +/- 0.19 mg/kg X min, P less than 0.01) without any change in nonoxidative glucose metabolism. Phentolamine administration had no effect on total glucose uptake, glucose oxidation, or nonoxidative glucose disposal. The increments in energy expenditure (0.10 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.03 +/- 0.01 kcal/min) and glucose/insulin-induced thermogenesis (4.9 +/- 0.5 vs. 1.5 +/- 0.5%) were reduced by 70% during the propranolol/insulin clamp study. The increments in energy expenditure (0.12 +/- 0.03 kcal/min) and thermogenesis (5.0 +/- 1.5%) were not affected by phentolamine. These results indicate that activation of the beta adrenergic receptor plays an important role in the insulin/glucose-mediated increase in energy expenditure and thermogenesis. In contrast, the alpha adrenergic receptor does not appear to participate in this response.

Adult↗

Adrenergic blockade alters glucose kinetics during exercise in insulin-dependent diabetics.

We investigated the effects of alpha and/or beta adrenergic blockade (with phentolamine and/or propranolol) on glucose homeostasis during exercise in six normal subjects and in seven Type I diabetic subjects. The diabetics received a low dose insulin infusion (0.07 mU/kg X min) designed to maintain plasma glucose at approximately 150 mg/dl. In normals, neither alpha, beta, nor combined alpha and beta adrenergic blockade altered glucose production, glucose uptake, or plasma glucose concentration during exercise. In diabetics, exercise alone produced a decline in glucose concentration from 144 to 116 mg/dl. This was due to a slightly diminished rise in hepatic glucose production in association with a normal increase in glucose uptake. When exercise was performed during beta adrenergic blockade, the decline in plasma glucose was accentuated. An exogenous glucose infusion (2.58 mg/kg X min) was required to prevent glucose levels from falling below 90 mg/dl. The effect of beta blockade was accounted for by a blunted rise in hepatic glucose production and an augmented rise in glucose utilization. These alterations were unrelated to changes in plasma insulin and glucagon levels, which were similar in the presence and absence of propranolol. In contrast, when the diabetics exercised during alpha adrenergic blockade, plasma glucose concentration rose from 150 to 164 mg/dl. This was due to a significant increase in hepatic glucose production and a small decline in exercise-induced glucose utilization. These alterations also could not be explained by differences in insulin and glucagon levels. We conclude that the glucose homeostatic response to exercise in insulin-dependent diabetics, in contrast to healthy controls, is critically dependent on the adrenergic nervous system.

Adult↗

Mechanism of improvement in glucose metabolism after chronic glyburide therapy.

The effect of glyburide on glucose metabolism was examined in 10 non-insulin-dependent diabetic subjects (NIDDM) and 7 young, control subjects. After 3 mo of glyburide treatment in NIDDM, fasting plasma glucose declined from 198 to 141 mg/dl (P less than 0.01) without change in fasting insulin levels. Basal hepatic glucose production (HGP) was slightly elevated in NIDDM versus controls (2.35 versus 2.18 mg/kg X min, P = NS) and was positively correlated with the fasting glucose concentration (r = 0.93, P less than 0.001). With chronic glyburide therapy, HGP declined to 1.72 mg/kg X min (P less than 0.01 versus preglyburide) and remained highly correlated with the fasting glucose concentration (r = 0.85, P less than 0.005). Basal glucose clearance in NIDDM was reduced by 48% compared with age-matched controls (1.22 versus 2.32 ml/kg X min, P less than 0.001) and was unchanged after 3 mo of glyburide. Thus, the most important factor responsible for the decline in fasting plasma glucose concentration was an inhibition of hepatic glucose output. The decrease in basal hepatic glucose production and fasting plasma glucose concentration occurred without any change in fasting plasma insulin or C-peptide concentration. Insulin-mediated glucose metabolism (insulin clamp technique) was reduced by 55% in NIDDM (2.91 versus 6.39 mg/kg X min, P less than 0.001). After glyburide, insulin-mediated glucose metabolism increased by 26% to 3.67 mg/kg X min (P less than 0.01). This increase in tissue sensitivity to insulin was unassociated with any change in insulin binding to monocytes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗

In vivo and in vitro studies of vanadate in human and rodent diabetes mellitus.

In vivo vanadate and vanadyl have been shown to mimic the action of insulin and to be effective treatment for animal models of both Type I and Type II diabetes. The molecular mechanism of action of the vanadium salts on insulin sensitivity remains uncertain, and several potential sites proposed for the insulin-like effects are reviewed. In human trials, insulin sensitivity improved in patients with NIDDM, as well as in some patients with IDDM after two weeks of treatment with sodium metavanadate. This increase in insulin sensitivity was primarily due to an increase in non-oxidative glucose disposal, whereas oxidative glucose disposal and both basal and insulin stimulated suppression of hepatic glucose output (HGP) were unchanged. Clinically, oral vanadate was associated with a small decrease in insulin requirements in IDDM subjects. Of additional benefit, there was a decrease in total cholesterol levels in both IDDM and NIDDM subjects. Furthermore, there was an increase in the basal activities of MAP and S6 kinases to levels similar to the insulin-stimulated levels in controls, but there was little or no further stimulation with insulin was seen. Further understanding of the mechanism of vanadium action may ultimately be useful in the design of drugs that improve glucose tolerance.

Animals↗