Effect of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism on rat red blood cell insulin receptors and catecholamines: relationship with cellular ageing

Insulin receptor activity and its relationship with catecholamines in rat young, middle aged and old red blood cells were investigated in experimental hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. In control animals, a loss of insulin receptor activity was found with cellular ageing and increased levels of norepinephrine, epinephrine and glycosylated hemoglobin. There was down regulation of insulin receptors together with alterations in membrane bound catecholamines in thyroid hormones imbalances. These results suggest that loss of insulin receptor in cellular ageing is probably part of a more generalised alteration and rat serves as an excellent model in defining the role of thyroid hormones in carbohydrate tolerance.     

Effects of gluconeogenic hormones on insulin binding in intact human red blood cells

The effects of gluconeogenic hormones, adrenaline and cortisol, on insulin binding were studied in intact human red blood cells. Insulin binding was significantly decreased when red blood cells were preincubated with 1.0 microgram . ml-1 adrenaline or cortisol respectively. The Scatchard plot suggested that this was due to a decrease in surface receptor concentration. Furthermore, it showed that adrenaline also increased insulin receptor affinity. The negative co-operativity affinity profile demonstrated that adrenaline caused a rise in only the upper limit average affinity, Ki, of the insulin receptor.     

Insulin action on activity and cell surface disposition of human HepG2 glucose transporters expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells

Complementary DNA encoding a facilitative glucose transporter was isolated from a human hepatoma cell line (HepG2) cDNA library and subcloned into a metal-inducible mammalian expression vector, pLEN (California Biotechnology) containing human metallothionein gene II promoter sequences. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with this transporter expression vector, pLENGT, exhibited a 2-17-fold increase in immunoreactive HepG2-type glucose transporter protein, as measured by protein immunoblotting with antipeptide antibodies directed against the HepG2-type glucose transporter C-terminal domain. Expression of the human glucose transporter was verified by protein immunoblotting with a mouse polyclonal antiserum that recognizes the human but not the rodent HepG2-type transporter. 2-Deoxy-D-glucose uptake was increased 2-7-fold in transfected cell lines. Polyclonal antisera directed against purified red blood cell glucose transporter were raised in several rabbits. Antiserum from one rabbit, delta, was found to bind to the surface of intact red cells but not to inside-out red cell ghosts. Using this delta-antiserum in intact cell-binding assays, 1.6-9-fold increases in cell surface expression of the human glucose transporter were measured in CHO-K1 cell lines transfected with the transporter expression vector. Measurements of total cellular glucose transporter immunoreactive protein using anti-HepG2 transporter C-terminal peptide serum, cell surface glucose transporter protein using delta-antiserum and 2-deoxyglucose uptake revealed proportional relationships among these parameters in transfected cell lines expressing different levels of transporter protein. Insulin increased 2-deoxyglucose uptake 40% in control CHO-K1 cells and in CHO-K1 cells expressing modest levels of the human glucose transporter protein. However, stimulation of sugar-uptake by insulin was only 10% in cells overexpressing human glucose transporter protein 9-fold, and no effect of insulin on sugar uptake was detected in several cell lines expressing very high levels (12-17-fold over controls) of human HepG2 glucose transporter protein. No insulin stimulation of anti-cell surface glucose transporter antibody binding was detected in any control or transfected CHO-K1 cell lines. These data indicate that a glucose transporter protein that is insensitive to insulin in HepG2 cells is regulated by insulin when expressed at low but not at high levels in insulin-response CHO-K1 cells. Additionally, the results suggest that insulin does not increase 2-deoxyglucose uptake by increasing the number of cell surface HepG2-type glucose transporters in CHO-K1 fibroblasts.     

Effects of dietary fats on red blood cell membrane insulin receptor in normo- and hypercholesterolemic miniature swine

It has been demonstrated that the type of dietary fat affects insulin receptors in various tissues in normal humans and animals by altering membrane fluidity. This study compares the effects of n-3 fatty acids from fish oil and n-6 fatty acids from corn oil on red blood cell membrane insulin receptors in normal and hypercholesterolemic minipigs. A group of minipigs were made hypercholesterolemic by feeding cholesterol and lard for 2 months; the other group served as controls and was fed stock diet. Both groups were then fed experimental diets containing either corn oil or menhaden oil or a mixture of the two for 23 additional weeks. Blood was collected at 0, 2, 12 and 23 weeks after the start of the experimental diets and membranes were prepared from the red blood cells. Insulin binding to red blood cell membranes was measured by radioreceptor assay. Plasma insulin was measured by radioimmunoassay. Insulin binding to red blood cell membrane was compared with the fluidity of the membrane measured and reported earlier. There was no significant effect of cholesterol feeding on plasma insulin concentrations. After 23 weeks on experimental diet plasma insulin was significantly higher in minipigs fed menhaden oil compared to those fed corn oil. No such effect was observed in hypercholesterolemic minipigs. No significant effect of either hypercholesterolemia or fish oil was observed on red blood cell insulin binding. A significant negative relationship was observed between insulin binding and anisotropy at 4°C for all probes but at 37°C significant negative relationship was observed only with polar probes. The data suggest that n-3 fatty acids from fish oil significantly increases plasma insulin in minipigs compared to n-6 fatty acids from corn oil. However, the unsaturation has no significant effect on insulin receptors on erythrocytes. Similarly, prior hypercholesterolemic state also has no effect on plasma insulin levels or the insulin binding to red blood cell membranes.     

MAPKinase and regulation of the sodium-proton exchanger in human red blood cell

The sodium-proton exchanger is activated by various agonists, including insulin, even in human red blood cell. MAPKinase, a family of ubiquitous serine/threonine kinases, plays an important role in the signal transduction pathways which lead to sodium-proton exchanger activation. The aim of our study was to establish the existence of MAPKinase in human red blood cell and to investigate the effects of its activation by insulin and okadaic acid on the sodium-proton exchanger. Immunoblot with antiMAPK antibody revealed the presence of two isoforms, p44(ERK1) and p42(ERK2). Insulin stimulated MAPKinase activity and increased the phosphorylation of MAPK tyrosine residues, with a peak time between 3 and 5 min. Okadaic acid, an inhibitor of serine/threonine phosphatases, stimulated MAPKinase activity. In the presence of PD98059, an inhibitor of MEK, the upstream activator of MAPKinase, insulin and okadaic acid failed to stimulate MAPKinase. Insulin and okadaic acid increased the activity of the sodium-proton exchanger and this effect was abolished by PD98059. In conclusion, we first describe the presence and activity of MAPKinase in human red blood cell. Furthermore, we demonstrate that in human red blood cell, insulin modulates the sodium-proton exchanger through MAPKinase activation.     

Human red blood cell insulin-degrading enzyme and rat skeletal muscle insulin protease share antigenic sites and generate identical products from insulin.

The mechanisms of cellular insulin degradation remain uncertain. Considerable evidence now exists that the primary cellular insulin-degrading activity is a metallothiol proteinase. Two similar degrading activities have been purified and characterized. Insulin protease has been purified from rat skeletal muscle and insulin-degrading enzyme from human red blood cells. Whereas the two degrading activities share a number of similar properties, significant differences have also been reported; and it is not at all established that they are the same enzyme. To examine this, we have compared antigenic and catalytic properties of the two enzymatic activities. Monoclonal antibodies against the red blood cell enzyme adsorb the skeletal muscle enzyme; and on Western blots, the antibodies react with an identical 110-kDa protein. Immunoaffinity-purified enzymes from both red blood cells and skeletal muscle degrade [125I]iodo(B26)insulin to the same products as seen with purified insulin protease and with intact liver and kidney. Chelator-treated muscle and red blood cell enzymes can be reactivated with either Mn2+ or Ca2+. Thus, insulin-degrading enzyme and insulin protease have similar properties. These results support the hypothesis that these activities reside in the same enzyme.     

胰岛素抵抗细胞与大鼠模型的建立及其应用

目的探讨胰岛素抵抗模型的建立方法和二苯乙烯对血糖的调节作用。方法①给予Wistar大鼠自制脂肪乳建立胰岛素抵抗动物模型。②给予HepG2细胞胰岛素,建立胰岛素抵抗（HepG2/IR）细胞模型。③分别给予模型大鼠和HepG2/IR细胞二苯乙烯,观察二苯乙烯对血糖的调节作用。结果给予脂肪乳后,大鼠的血糖和TG、TC、LDL、HDL分别升高了72.87%和16.21%、139.93%、56.93%、18.32%,与建模前比,差异有显著性（P〈0.01）;给予二苯乙烯,模型组动物血糖和血脂水平比给药前明显降低（P〈0.05~0.01）;HepG2/IR葡萄糖消耗量比对照组（HepG2）明显增加。结论给予Wistar大鼠自制脂肪乳或给予HepG2细胞胰岛素,可建立胰岛素抵抗模型;二苯乙烯具有降低模型动物血糖和血脂、增加HepG2/IR葡萄糖消耗量的作用。     

Importance of cholesterol-phospholipid interaction in determining dynamics of normal and abetalipoproteinemia red blood cell membrane

Acanthocytic red blood cells in patients with abetalipoproteinemia have a decrease membrane fluidity that is associated with increased sphingomyelin/phosphatidylcholine (SM/PC) ratios. Here we describe studies designed to gain better insight into (i) the interrelationship between the composition of lipoprotein and red blood cell membrane in abetalipoproteinemia patients and normal controls; and (ii) how the differences in lipid composition of the red blood cell membrane affect its fluidity. The increased SM/PC ratio found in abetalipoproteinemia plasma high density lipoproteins (HDL) (3 times greater than controls) was paralleled by an increase in this ratio in acanthocytic red cells, but to a lesser degree (almost twice greater than control red cells). Cholesterol/phospholipid mole ratios (C/P) were increased 3-fold in abetalipoproteinemia HDL, but only slightly increased in red cells compared to controls values. As in the controls, 80-85% of abetalipoproteinemia red cell sphingomyelin was found to be in the outer half of the erythrocyte membrane. Membrane fluidity was defined in terms of microviscosity (eta) between 5 and 42 degrees C by the fluorescent polarization of 1,6-diphenylhexatriene (DPH) present in erythrocyte ghost membranes. At all temperatures, membrane microviscosity was higher in abetalipoproteinemia ghosts than controls, but these differences decreased at higher temperatures (12.34 vs 9.79 poise, respectively at 10 degrees C; 4.63 vs 4.04 poise at 37 degrees C). These differences were eliminated after oxidation of all membrane cholesterol to cholest-4-en-3-one by incubation with cholesterol oxidase. Following cholesterol oxidation, the membrane microviscosity decreased in patient ghosts more than in normal red blood cells so that at all temperatures no significant differences were present relative to control ghosts, in which the apparent microviscosity was also diminished but to a lesser degree. Therefore, although increased SM/PC ratios in abetalipoproteinemia may be responsible for decreased erythrocyte membrane fluidity, these effects are dependent upon normal interactions of cholesterol with red cell phospholipid.     

Heterogeneity and contact-dependent regulation of hormone secretion by individual B cells

A reverse hemolytic plaque assay was developed to visualize insulin release from individual adult pancreatic B cells. Cells obtained by mechanical dispersion of isolated rat islets of Langerhans were mixed with protein A-coated sheep red blood cells and incubated in the presence of an anti-insulin serum, under conditions known to affect insulin release. The cell mixture was further incubated with complement and finally fixed. Insulin release was revealed by the presence of hemolytic plaques which resulted from the complement-mediated lysis of red blood cells bearing insulin-anti-insulin complexes bound to protein A. Quantitation of hemolytic plaques around trypan blue-unstained and immunohistochemically identified B cells showed that stimulation of insulin release results in the recruitment of increasing numbers of secreting B cells as well as in the enhanced response of individual B cells. Reverse changes occur upon inhibition of insulin release. Comparison of freshly dispersed and one-day-cultured preparations did not reveal significant differences in the secretory response of undamaged B cells. In both preparations, single B cells responded to secretagogues in smaller proportions and to a lesser extent than clusters in which B cells had either maintained or restored contacts and junctional communication with their neighbours. However, the overall preponderant response of clusters was less than expected from the number of individually secreting B cells they contained. The data show that B cells are heterogeneous in terms of their ability to release insulin and provide evidence that cell-to-cell adhesion and/or junctional communication regulate hormone secretion from individual B cells.     

Glycosphingolipids from rabbit aorta, plasma, and red blood cells: effects of high cholesterol-high fat diets on fatty acid distribution and quantity of glycosphingolipids

Four glycosphingolipids were isolated from rabbit aorta, plasma, and red blood cells. They were identified, by thin-layer chromatography and by quantitative analysis of hexose and fatty acid, as cerebroside, diglycosyl ceramide, triglycosyl ceramide, and globoside. The rabbits had been maintained on a normal diet or on one of three high cholesterol diets for 180 days. The quantities of the glycosphingolipids and their fatty acid distributions were determined, and comparisons were made between the control and experimental animals. Aorta and plasma glycosphingolipids were more affected by the high cholesterol diets than were those from red blood cells. The effects on aorta and plasma glycosphingolipids were similar. The amount of cerebroside was increased in aorta and plasma in all animals in the experimental groups. The amount was also increased in red blood cells in rabbits from two of the experimental groups. The average fatty acid chain length was greater in the lipids from the experimental animals than in those from the control animals for all measured glycosphingolipids from aorta. The average chain length was also greater in cerebrosides from the experimental animals from all three tissues. Probably the most notable differences in the experimental animals were the increased 24:1/24:0 ratios and the increased concentrations of 24:2. These increases occurred in nearly all samples from plasma and aorta, but not in red blood cells. There was also an increase of total unsaturated fatty acids in aorta cerebrosides from the experimental animals. Except for the increase in 24:2, lard generally caused more deviation from normal than did cottonseed oil when the level of cholesterol in the diet was 1%.     

Importance of cholesterol-phospholipid interaction in determining dynamics of normal and abetalipoproteinemia red blood cell membrane

Acanthocytic red blood cells in patients with abetalipoproteinemia have a decreased membrane fluidity that is associated with increased sphingomyelin/phosphatidylcholine (SM/PC)§ ratios. Here we describe studies designed to gain better insight into (i) the interrelationship between the composition of lipoprotein and red blood cell membrane in abetalipo-proteinemia patients and normal controls; and (ii) how the differences in lipid composition of the red blood cell membrane affect its fluidity. The increased SM/PC ratio found in abetalipoproteinemia plasma high density lipoproteins (HDL) (3 times greater than controls) was paralleled by an increase in this ratio in acanthocytic red cells, but to a lesser degree (almost twice greater than control red cells). Cholesterol/phospholipid mole ratios (C/P) were increased 3-fold in abetalipoproteinemia HDL, but only slightly increased in red cells compared to controls values. As in the controls, 80–85% of abetalipo-proteinemia red cell sphingomyelin was found to be in the outer half of the erythrocyte membrane. Membrane fluidity was defined in terms of microviscosity ({ie116-1}) between 5 and 42°C by the fluorescent polarization of 1,6-diphenylhexatriene (DPH) present in erythrocyte ghost membranes. At all temperatures, membrane microviscosity was higher in abetalipoproteinemia ghosts than controls, but these differences decreased at higher temperatures (12.34 vs 9.79 poise, respectively, at 10°C; 4.63 vs 4.04 poise at 37°C). These differences were eliminated after oxidation of all membrane cholesterol to cholest-4-en-3-one by incubation with cholesterol oxidase. Following cholesterol oxidation, the membrane microviscosity decreased in patient ghosts more than in normal red blood cells so that at all temperatures no significant differences were present relative to control ghosts, in which the apparent microviscosity was also diminished but to a lesser degree. Therefore, although increased SM/PC ratios in abetalipoproteinemia may be responsible for decreased erythrocyte membrane fluidity, these effects are dependent upon normal interactions of cholesterol with red cell phospholipid.     

Red cell 2,3-DPG, ATP, and mean cell volume in highly trained athletes. Effect of long-term submaximal exercise

20 male elite long distance runners were compared to a control group of blood donors to determine the effect of training on red blood cells. The acute effects of exercise on red cells were investigated in 11 of the runners following a race of 15-30 km. The runners had elevated resting values of red cell 2,3-DPG (P less than 0.05) and mean cell volume (P less than 0.01); blood Hb and ATP were not different from concentrations in the control group. The red cell status of the athletes may be explained by an increased proportion of young erythrocytes in runners. No statistically significant changes in red cell 2,3-DPG, ATP, mean cell volume or blood Hb were found post exercise.     

Modulation of A and B cell functions by tolbutamide and arginine in the pancreas of thiamine-deficient rats

The effects of administration of glucose orally and tolbutamide or arginine intravenously on insulin and glucagon secretion and blood glucose level were studied in normal and thiamine-deficient rats. In thiamine deficiency, insulin secretion and glucose tolerance were impaired during glucose ingestion. Tolbutamide decreased the blood glucose level in both control and thiamine-deficient rats but its stimulatory effect on insulin secretion was minimal in thiamine-deficient rats unlike the control animals. Arginine did not alter substantially the blood glucose or insulin in thiamine-deficient rats, whereas it increased the insulin level in control rats. The fasting plasma glucagon level was high in thiamine deficiency. Tolbutamide increased the plasma glucagon in control rats, but did so only marginally in thiamine-deficient rats. Arginine also increased the glucagon secretion throughout the period of study in control rats. In thiamine-deficient rats the glucagon secretion was pronounced only after 20 min of arginine administration. These results suggest that an unimpaired glucose metabolism is a prerequisite to induce proper insulin secretion. Only proper insulin secretion can check the glucagon secretion rather than the increased glucose level. Hypoglycemia can induce glucagon secretion independent of the insulin level.     

四种苏丹红染料对小鼠体内血液的影响

目的探讨苏丹红对小白鼠血液和组织器官的影响。方法取小鼠连续12 d腹腔注射不同剂量苏丹红Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ（0、40、80、160 mg/kg）,末次给药24 h后采集血样,用血细胞分析仪检测血常规指标,毛细血管法测定凝血时间,剖腹取主要器官称重,计算脏器系数。结果苏丹红Ⅰ和Ⅱ组血液红细胞数明显减少,而苏丹红Ⅲ和Ⅳ组不明显,苏丹红不同剂量之间比较,低剂量苏丹红Ⅰ和高剂量苏丹红Ⅱ组比苏丹红Ⅲ和Ⅳ组血液红细胞数变化明显;苏丹红Ⅰ和Ⅱ组血液血红蛋白含量明显降低,而苏丹红Ⅲ和Ⅳ组血红蛋白含量变化不明显。四种不同剂量苏丹红组小鼠血液中血小板数量减少,随着剂量增加小鼠血液凝固时间延长。随着苏丹红剂量增加,苏丹红I和II组小鼠血液白细胞数比对照组明显增加,苏丹红Ⅲ和Ⅳ组白细胞数有增加趋势但差异不显著。与对照组比较,苏丹红组小鼠血液白细胞数明显增加、而淋巴细胞和单核细胞显著减少。随着苏丹红注射剂量增加,肾脏和脾脏脏器系数较对照组明显增大,肝脏脏器系数变化不明显。结论苏丹红对小鼠血液细胞、血红蛋白、血小板和凝血时间以及组织器官都有不同程度影响。     

Effects of dietary mulberry, Korean red ginseng, and banaba on glucose homeostasis in relation to PPAR-alpha, PPAR-gamma, and LPL mRNA expressions

Despite lack of scientific evidences to support its therapeutic efficacy, the use of herbal supplements has significantly increased. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of traditional anti-diabetic herbs on the progress of diabetes in db/db mice, a typical non-insulin-dependent model. Five different experimental diets were as follows: control diet, 0.5% mulberry leaf water extract diet, 0.5% Korean red ginseng diet, 0.5% banaba leaf water extract diet, and 0.5% combination diet (mulberry leaf water extract/Korean red ginseng/banaba leaf water extract, 1:1:1). Blood levels of glucose, insulin, HbA1c, and triglyceride were measured every 2 weeks. At 12 weeks of age, animals were sacrificed, and tissue mRNA levels of PPAR-alpha, PPAR-gamma, and LPL were determined. Results indicated that mulberry leaf water extract, Korean red ginseng, banaba leaf water extract, and the combination of above herbs effectively reduced blood glucose, insulin, TG, and percent HbA1c in study animals (p<0.05). We also observed that the increased expressions of liver PPAR-alpha mRNA and adipose tissue PPAR-gamma mRNA in animals fed diets supplemented with test herbs. The expression of liver LPL mRNA was also increased with experimental diets containing herbs. The efficacy was highest in animals fed the combination diet for all of the markers used. These results suggest that mulberry leaf water extract, Korean red ginseng, banaba leaf water extract, and the combination of these herbs fed at the level of 0.5% of the diet significantly increase insulin sensitivity, and improve hyperglycemia possibly through regulating PPAR-mediated lipid metabolism.     

High affinity insulin binding and insulin receptor-effector coupling: modulation by Ca2+.

Insulin binding and insulin stimulated amino acid and glucose uptake were determined in cultured HTC hepatoma cells in the presence of Ca2+ and ruthenium red (RR) in order to further characterise the putative calcium binding site on the receptor. These ions increased insulin receptor high affinity binding and the sensitivity of these responses to insulin. The insulin concentration required to half-maximally stimulate amino acid uptake decreased significantly from 26.9 +/- 5.8 ng/ml to 6.0 +/- 1.3 ng/ml in the presence of 10 mM Ca2+ and to 1.3 +/- 0.5 ng/ml in the presence of RR. The effect of Ca2+ and RR was more pronounced on insulin stimulated glucose uptake. These agents also increased receptor-effector coupling, reducing the percentage of occupied receptors required for maximal insulin stimulation of amino acid uptake from 10.8% in control cells to 3.4 and 1.4% in the presence of Ca2+ and RR respectively. The receptor occupancy required to produce maximal insulin responses on glucose uptake decreased from 20% (control) to 3.8% (Ca2+ and RR). We hypothesize that since Ca2+ and RR have similar effects, that occupation of Ca2+ binding sites on the receptor produces a conformational change in the insulin receptor which increases insulin receptor affinity, insulin sensitivity and acts on an early post-receptor event responsible for coupling binding to insulin action.     

Plasmodium berghei: Glycolytic enzymes of the infected mouse erythrocyte

This paper documents the maximal activities of the glycolytic enzymes in the red blood cells of normal mice and mice infected with Plasmodium berghei. There appears to be sufficient parasite-related activity of each glycolytic enzyme to support the increased glycolytic rate, i.e., increased glucose consumption, of the parasite-infected red blood cell. The relative proportions of glycolytic enzyme activities in parasite-infected red cells are different from the proportions in either normal or reticulocyte-rich blood, indicating that the increased enzyme activities associated with infected cells are not due to contaminating host red cells or reticulocytes. A comparison of maximal enzyme activities to the rate of whole cell glucose consumption indicates that different glycolytic control mechanisms are operating in the infected RBC from those in the uninfected cells.     

Changes in membrane properties of rat red blood cells induced by cadmium accumulating in the membrane fraction

When rat red blood cells were incubated in a cadmium (Cd)-free medium following 1-h pretreatment with 0.5 mM CdCl2, incorporated Cd was retained in the cell during 14-h incubation and progressively accumulated in the membrane fraction, especially in the cytoskeleton fraction. In parallel to this accumulation, red cell filterability decreased and echinocytic cells increased, although intracellular ATP was maintained at the control level. The echinocytic shape was maintained in ghosts and cytoskeletons prepared from the Cd-loaded cells. In addition, the association of bands 2.1, 3, 4.2, and 4.5 with cytoskeletons increased and dissociation of cytoskeletal networks at low ionic strength decreased as the incubation time increased. Pretreatment of red blood cells with Cd also induced a release of small vesicles. These vesicles contained hemoglobin but were depleted of spectrin and actin, showing a phospholipid composition similar to that of red cell ghosts. These results suggest that the organization of cell membranes, especially cytoskeletal networks, is altered by Cd accumulation in the cytoskeleton fraction, which results in acceleration of age-related changes of red blood cells such as shape change and decreased filterability.     

Effect of hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia on rat red blood cell insulin receptors and catecholamines: relationship with cellular ageing

Insulin receptor activity and its relationship with catecholamines in rat young, middle aged and old red blood cells were investigated in short term (4-6) weeks and long term (6-8 months) hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia. Loss of insulin receptor activity is linear with cellular ageing and norepinephrine and epinephrine levels increase with age together with levels of glycosylated hemoglobin in control animals and this correlation is altered in hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia. These results suggest that loss of insulin receptor in cellular ageing is probably part of a more generalised alteration which is possibly brought about by glycosylation.