Microbial Production of Optically Active 1,3-Butanediol from 4-Hydroxy-2-butanone

The effect of insulin on polypeptide chain elongation was examined in soleus muscles isolated from 18 hour-fasted mice. Treatment with insulin for 1 hour increased the elongation rate, which was estimated by the half-transit time. This suggests that insulin stimulated protein synthesis by modifying the elongation rate in addition to the initiation rate.     

UCP3 gene expression does not correlate with muscle oxidation rates in troglitazone-treated Zucker fatty rats

Uncoupling protein-3 (UCP3), a mitochondrial carrier protein predominantly expressed in muscle, has been suggested to release stored energy as heat. The insulin-sensitizing thiazolidinediones enhance glucose disposal in skeletal muscle and have been reported to increase the expression of uncoupling proteins in various experimental systems. We therefore studied the effect of troglitazone treatment on UCP3 gene expression in muscles from lean and obese Zucker rats. In comparison with obese littermates, basal UCP3 mRNA levels in lean Zucker rats tended to be higher in white and red gastrocnemius muscles, but were lower in soleus (P<0.001) muscle and heart (P<0.01). In lean rats, troglitazone significantly increased UCP3 gene expression in white and red gastrocnemius and heart muscles (all P<0.01). In contrast, the drug reduced UCP3 mRNA expression in red gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of obese littermates (all P<0.001). The troglitazone-dependent decrease in UCP3 gene expression was accompanied by an increased weight gain in obese rats, while no such effect was observed in lean rats. In obese rats, improvement of insulin resistance by troglitazone was associated with increased rates of basal and insulin-stimulated CO(2) production from glucose measured in soleus muscle. These studies demonstrate that effects of troglitazone on UCP3 gene expression depend on the phenotype of Zucker rats and that troglitazone-induced metabolic improvements are not related to increased uncoupling resulting from upregulation of UCP3 mRNA expression in muscle.     

Effects of okadaic acid, an inhibitor of protein phosphatases-1 and -2A, on glucose transport and metabolism in skeletal muscle.

The effect of okadaic acid, an inhibitor of protein phosphatases-1 and -2A, was studied on glucose transport and metabolism in soleus muscles isolated from lean and insulin-resistant obese mice. In muscles from lean mice, the uptake of 2-deoxyglucose, an index of glucose transport and phosphorylation, was increased by okadaic acid in a concentration-dependent manner. At 5 microM, okadaic acid was as efficient as a maximally effective insulin concentration. Glucose metabolism (glycolysis and glycogen synthesis) was also measured. Whereas glycolysis was stimulated by okadaic acid, glycogen synthesis was unchanged. When okadaic acid and insulin were added together in the incubation medium, the rates of glucose transport, glycolysis, and glycogen synthesis were similar to those obtained with insulin alone, whether maximal or submaximal insulin concentrations were used. Furthermore, okadaic acid did not activate the kinase activity of the insulin receptor studied in an acellular system or in intact muscles. These results indicate that a step in the insulin-induced stimulation of muscle glucose transport involves a serine/threonine phosphorylation event that is regulated by protein phosphatases-1 and/or -2A. In muscles of insulin-resistant obese mice, the absolute values of deoxyglucose uptake stimulated by okadaic acid were lower than in muscles from lean mice. However, the okadaic acid effect, expressed as a fold stimulation, was normal. These observations suggest that in the insulin-resistant state linked to obesity, the serine/threonine phosphorylation event is likely occurring normally, but a defect at the level of the glucose transporter itself would prevent a normal response to insulin or okadaic acid.     

Heterogeneous metabolic adaptation of C57BL/6J mice to high-fat diet

C57BL/6J mice were fed a high-fat, carbohydrate-free diet (HFD) for 9 mo. Approximately 50% of the mice became obese and diabetic (ObD), approximately 10% lean and diabetic (LD), approximately 10% lean and nondiabetic (LnD), and approximately 30% displayed intermediate phenotype. All of the HFD mice were insulin resistant. In the fasted state, whole body glucose clearance was reduced in ObD mice, unchanged in the LD mice, and increased in the LnD mice compared with the normal-chow mice. Because fasted ObD mice were hyperinsulinemic and the lean mice slightly insulinopenic, there was no correlation between insulin levels and increased glucose utilization. In vivo, tissue glucose uptake assessed by 2-[(14)C]deoxyglucose accumulation was reduced in most muscles in the ObD mice but increased in the LnD mice compared with the values of the control mice. In the LD mice, the glucose uptake rates were reduced in extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and total hindlimb but increased in soleus, diaphragm, and heart. When assessed in vitro, glucose utilization rates in the absence and presence of insulin were similar in diaphragm, soleus, and EDL muscles isolated from all groups of mice. Thus, in genetically homogenous mice, HFD feeding lead to different metabolic adaptations. Whereas all of the mice became insulin resistant, this was associated, in obese mice, with decreased glucose clearance and hyperinsulinemia and, in lean mice, with increased glucose clearance in the presence of mild insulinopenia. Therefore, increased glucose clearance in lean mice could not be explained by increased insulin level, indicating that other in vivo mechanisms are triggered to control muscle glucose utilization. These adaptive mechanisms could participate in the protection against development of obesity.     

Factors influencing insulin and glucagon secretion in lean and genetically obese mice.

The control of insulin and glucagon secretion from isolated pancreatic islets of lean and genetically obese mice has been compared. The enlarged islets of obese mouse pancreas and islets of obese mouse pancreas and islets of obese mice maintained on a restricted diet manifested a greater response to glucose stimulation of insulin secretion than the lean mice islets. The glucagon content of the islets, the secretion of glucagon in a medium containing 150 mg% glucose and the stimulation of glucagon secretion by arginine did not differ significantly in the two groups. Adrenaline stimulated glucagon secretion in vitro from obese mice but not from lean mice. Antinsulin serum injections into obese mice increased the plasma glucagon levels about twofold and had no effect on glucagon levels in lean mice, although the level of hyperglycaemia was the same in both groups. It is suggested that the suppression of glucagon release by glucose requires a higher concentration of insulin in the obese mouse pancreas than in lean mice.     

Insulin resistance in soleus muscle from obese Zucker rats. Involvement of several defective sites

1. The effect of insulin upon glucose transport and metabolism in soleus muscles of genetically obese (fa/fa) and heterozygote lean Zucker rats was investigated at 5–6 weeks and 10–11 weeks of age. Weight-standardized strips of soleus muscles were used rather than the intact muscle in order to circumvent problems of diffusion of substrates. 2. In younger obese rats (5–6 weeks), plasma concentrations of immunoreactive insulin were twice those of controls, whereas their circulating triacylglycerol concentrations were normal. Insulin effects upon 2-deoxyglucose uptake and glucose metabolism by soleus muscles of these rats were characterized by both a decreased sensitivity and a decrease in the maximal response of this tissue to the hormone. 3. In older obese rats (10–11 weeks), circulating concentrations of insulin and triacylglycerols were both abnormally elevated. A decrease of 25–35% in insulin-binding capacity to muscles of obese rats was observed. The soleus muscles from the older obese animals also displayed decreased sensitivity and maximal response to insulin. However, at a low insulin concentration (0.1m-i.u./ml), 2-deoxyglucose uptake by muscles of older obese rats was stimulated, but such a concentration was ineffective in stimulating glucose incorporation into glycogen, and glucose metabolism by glycolysis. 4. Endogenous lipid utilization by muscle was calculated from the measurements of O₂ consumption, and glucose oxidation to CO₂. The rate of utilization of fatty acids was normal in muscles of younger obese animals, but increased in those of the older obese rats. Increased basal concentrations of citrate, glucose 6-phosphate and glycogen were found in muscles of older obese rats and may reflect intracellular inhibition of glucose metabolism as a result of increased lipid utilization. 5. Thus several abnormalities are responsible for insulin resistance of muscles from obese Zucker rats among which we have observed decreased insulin binding, decreased glucose transport and increased utilization of endogenous fatty acid which could inhibit glucose utilization.     

Potentiation of response to insulin and anti-insulin action by two human pituitary peptides in lean agouti A/a, obese yellow Avy/A, and C57BL/6J-ob/ob mice

Insulin-like and anti-insulin effects of human growth hormone (hGH) were examined by determining the effects of two peptides representing portions of the hGH molecule in lean agouti A/a and obese yellow Avy/A and ob/ob mice. The peptides were the amino terminal segment, residue 1-43 (hGH1-43), which has been shown to potentiate the response to insulin and another peptide, hyperglycemic peptide (HP), with unknown structure, which has anti-insulin activity. The anti-insulin component is an acidic low molecular weight peptide which co-purifies with hGH but was not recognized by antibodies to intact hGH and did not cross-react with anti-hGH1-43 antiserum. The purpose of these studies was to further understand the multiple actions of hGH and its acute and chronic effects on response to insulin. Injections of hGH1-43 dramatically enhanced the effect of insulin on glucose clearance of obese yellow Avy/A and ob/ob mice and increased the insulin-stimulated glucose oxidation in adipose tissue of yellow mice, but had no direct effect on blood glucose or insulin levels of either genotype. Administration of HP to obese yellow mice produced hyperglycemia and suppressed serum insulin concentrations. Tissues from lean agouti and obese yellow mice treated with HP in vitro showed decreased basal and insulin-stimulated glucose oxidation as well as decreased 14C incorporation into lipids. Chronic treatment of obese yellow and ob/ob mice with HP increased fasting blood glucose and impaired glucose tolerance. The effect of HP was more pronounced in obese yellow mice and the ob/ob mice were more sensitive to the diabetogenic actions of intact hGH. These data provide further evidence for the existence of two opposing biologic activities derived from disparate amino acid sequences in hGH. Additionally, the data indicate that assays using obese yellow Avy/A mice can distinguish the effects of hGH from those of the individual peptides to a greater degree than assays using obese ob/ob mice.     

Effects of insulin on lipolysis and lipogenesis in adipocytes from genetically obese (ob/ob) mice.

A method for the preparation of isolated adipocytes from obese mice is described. Similar yields of adipocytes (50--60%), as judged by several criteria, are obtained from obese mice and lean controls. Few fat-globules and no free nuclei were observed in cell preparations, which are metabolically active, respond to hormonal control and appear to be representative of intact adipose tissue. Noradrenaline-stimulated lipolysis was inhibited by insulin, equally in adipocytes from lean and obese mice. Inhibition in obese cells required exogenous glucose, and the insulin dose--response curve was shifted to the right. Basal lipogenesis from glucose was higher in adipocytes from obese mice, and the stimulatory effect of insulin was greater in cells from obese mice compared with lean controls. A rightward shift in the insulin dose--response curve was again observed with cells from obese animals. This suggests that adipose tissue from obese mice is insulin-sensitive at the high blood insulin concentrations found in vivo. The resistance of obese mice to the hypoglycaemic effect of exogenous insulin and their impaired tolerance to glucose loading appear to be associated with an impaired insulin response by muscle rather than by adipose tissue.     

Effects of zinc supplementation on the plasma glucose level and insulin activity in genetically obese (ob/ob) mice

The effects of zinc supplementation (20 mM ZnCl₂ from the drinking water for eight weeks) on plasma glucose and insulin levels, as well as its in vitro effect on lipogenesis and lipolysis in adipocytes were studied in genetically obese (ob/ob) mice and their lean controls (+/?). Zinc supplementation reduced the fasting plasma glucose levels in both obese and lean mice by 21 and 25%, respectively (p < 0.05). Fasting plasma insulin levels were significantly decreased by 42% in obese mice after zinc treatment. In obese mice, zinc supplementation also attenuated the glycemic response by 34% after the glucose load. The insulin-like effect of zinc on lipogenesis in adipocytes was significantly increased by 80% in lean mice. However, the increment of 74% on lipogenesis in obese mice was observed only when the zinc plus insulin treatment was given. This study reveals that zinc supplementation alleviated the hyperglycemia of ob/ob mice, which may be related to its effect on the enhancement of insulin activity.     

Active involvement of PKC for insulin-mediated rates of muscle protein synthesis in Zucker rats

A recent report from our group demonstrated that insulin facilitates muscle protein synthesis in obese Zucker rats. The purpose of this study was to determine whether PKC, a probable modulator of insulin signal transduction and/or mRNA translation, has a role in this insulin-mediated anabolic response. In the first portion of the study, gastrocnemius muscles of lean and obese Zucker rats (n = 5-7 for each phenotype) were bilaterally perfused with or without insulin to assess cytosolic and membrane PKC activity. Limbs perfused with insulin demonstrated greater PKC activity in both lean and obese Zucker rats (P < 0.05) compared with no insulin, but overall activity was greater in obese animals (by approximately 27% compared with lean, P < 0.05). To determine whether PKC plays a role in muscle protein synthesis, hindlimbs (n = 6-8 for each phenotype) were bilaterally perfused with or without insulin and/or GF-109203X (GF; a PKC inhibitor). The presence of GF did not influence the rates of insulin-mediated protein synthesis in gastrocnemius muscle of lean Zucker rats. However, when obese rats were perfused with GF (P < 0.05), the effect of insulin on elevating rates of protein synthesis was not observed. We also used phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (TPA, a PKC activator; n = 5-7 for each phenotype) with and without insulin to determine the effect of PKC activation on muscle protein synthesis. TPA alone did not elevate muscle protein synthesis in lean or obese rats. However, TPA plus insulin resulted in elevated rates of protein synthesis in both phenotypes that were similar to rates of insulin alone of obese rats. These results suggest that PKC is a modulator and is necessary, but not sufficient, for insulin-mediated protein anabolic responses in skeletal muscle.     

Obese mice have higher insulin receptor levels in the hepatocyte cell nucleus following insulin stimulation in vivo with an oral glucose meal.

Internalization of the insulin receptor occurs following insulin binding at the cell surface, which serves to attenuate the insulin signal as well as modulate the number of surface insulin receptors. Obese animals exhibit decreased cell surface insulin receptor number as well as defects in insulin receptor internalization and processing. The insulin receptor may also translocates to the nucleus of hepatocytes and adipocytes following stimulation of cells with insulin. The objective of this study was to determine if insulin receptor trafficking to the hepatocyte cell nucleus could be observed in vivo and whether this process was altered in obese compared to lean mice. Mice were fasted for 12 h to reduce serum insulin to basal levels. Animals were then given an oral meal of glucose to stimulate the binding of insulin to receptor in vivo. Hepatocyte plasma membrane and nuclei were fractionated to purity following the glucose meal. Levels of insulin receptor were determined using insulin binding assays and a Western blotting assay using anti-insulin receptor antibody. As the amount of serum insulin increased following the glucose meal, a corresponding increase in nuclear insulin binding occurred in lean animals but not obese animals (P<0.05). Following the glucose meal, insulin receptor detected in the cell nucleus was increased in obese compared to lean mice (P<0.05). Thus insulin receptor translocation to the nucleus was demonstrated in vivo following a glucose meal in hepatocytes of both lean and obese animals. It is suggested that serum hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia in obese mice increased translocation of the insulin receptor to the nucleus.     

Alteration of insulin receptor kinase in obese, insulin-resistant mice

We have studied the properties of muscle insulin receptors obtained from genetically or experimentally-induced obese mice that are both insulin-resistant. Insulin receptors, partially purified by wheat germ agglutinin--agarose chromatography, were studied in a cell-free system for autophosphorylation, for their ability to phosphorylate a synthetic glutamate--tyrosine copolymer and for their binding characteristics. Insulin receptor number was decreased by 25% in muscles from obese mice without any change in their binding affinity. The insulin stimulatory action on its beta-subunit receptor phosphorylation was diminished in preparations from genetically- or experimentally-induced obese mice to a higher degree than the decrease in insulin receptor number. HPLC analysis of the phosphopeptides generated by trypsin treatment of the labeled receptor beta-subunit was identical in lean and obese mice. Similar alteration of the kinase activity was found in obese mice when the phosphorylation of casein or polyglutamate--tyrosine was measured. Trypsin treatment of the receptor preparations was less effective in stimulating the kinase activity in obese mice than in lean mice. These results suggest that the defect in insulin receptor kinase activity reflects an alteration in the transmission of the message from the alpha- to the beta-subunit or an impairment of the enzyme functioning by environmental conditions.     

The effect of digitoxose on insulin release, glucose oxidation and oxygen consumption by islets of lean and genetically obese diabetic (ob/ob) mice

Digitoxose specifically and competitively inhibited glucose stimulated insulin release from islets of both lean and obese mice without affecting either the rate of glucose oxidation or the rate of glucose stimulated oxygen consumption. Obese mouse islets were marginally more resistant to the inhibitory effect of digitoxose than lean mouse islets. Digitoxose provides a means for dissociating glucose stimulated insulin release by isolated islets from their metabolism of glucose confirming that glucose metabolism per se is not a necessary prerequisite for the initiation of insulin release but is required to fuel the insulin secretory process.     

Acute hyperinsulinemia inhibits intramyocellular triglyceride synthesis in high-fat-fed obese rats

Hyperinsulinemia is common in obesity, but whether it plays a role in intramyocellular triglyceride (imcTG) buildup is unknown. In this study, hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp experiments were performed in overnight-fasted lean and high-fat-fed obese rats, awake, to determine the effect of insulin on imcTG synthesis (incorporation of [(14)C]glycerol, [(14)C]glucose, and [(3)H]oleate). Insulin infusion at 25 (low insulin) and 100 (high insulin) pmol/kg/min increased plasma insulin by 5- and 16-fold, respectively, whereas plasma and intramyocellular glycerol, FFAs, triglycerides, and glucose levels were maintained at their basal levels by co-infusion of exogenous glycerol, FFAs, and triglycerides at fixed rates and glucose at varying rates. In obese rats, insulin suppressed incorporation of glycerol into the imcTG-glycerol moiety dose dependently (P < 0.01-P < 0.001) in gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior, but only the high insulin suppressed it in soleus (P < 0.05). The low insulin suppressed glucose incorporation into imcTG-glycerol in all three muscles (P = 0.01-P < 0.01). However, the low insulin did not affect (P > 0.05) and the high insulin suppressed (P < 0.05-P < 0.01) fatty acid incorporation into imcTG in all three muscles. Insulin also suppressed glycerol incorporation in lean rats (P < 0.01-P < 0.04). On the other hand, imcTG pool size was not affected by insulin (P > 0.05). These observations suggest that acute hyperinsulinemia inhibits imcTG synthesis and thus does not appear to promote imcTG accumulation via the synthetic pathway, at least in the short term.     

Effect of insulin and contraction on glycogen synthase phosphorylation and kinetic properties in epitrochlearis muscles from lean and obese Zucker rats

In the present study, the effects of insulin and contraction on glycogen synthase (GS) kinetic properties and phosphorylation were investigated in epitrochlearis muscles from lean and obese Zucker rats. Total GS activity and protein expression were ~15% lower in epitrochlearis from obese rats compared with lean rats. Insulin-stimulated GS fractional activity and affinity for UDP-glucose were lower (higher K(m)) in muscles from obese rats. GS Ser(641) and Ser(645,649,653,657) phosphorylation was higher in insulin-stimulated muscles from obese rats, which agreed with lower GS activation. Contraction-mediated GS dephosphorylation of Ser(641), Ser(641+645), Ser(645,649,653,657), and Ser(7+10) was normal in muscles from obese Zucker rats, and GS fractional activity increased to similar levels in epitrochlearis muscles from lean and obese rats. GS affinity for UDP glucose was ~0.8, ~0.4, and ~0.1 mM with assay buffers containing 0, 0.17, and 12 mM glucose 6-phosphate, respectively. Contraction increased affinity for UDP-glucose (reduced K(m)) at a physiological concentration of glucose 6-phosphate (0.17 mM) to ~0.2 mM in muscles from both lean and obese rats. Interestingly, in the absence of glucose 6-phosphate in the assay buffer, contraction (and insulin) did not influence GS affinity for UDP-glucose, indicating that affinity is regulated by sensitivity for glucose 6-phosphate. In conclusion, contraction-mediated activation and dephosphorylation of GS were normal in muscles from obese Zucker rats, whereas insulin-mediated GS activation and dephosphorylation were impaired.     

Insulin resistance in the New Zealand obese mouse (NZO): lipolysis and lipogenesis in isolated adipocytes

The marked stimulatory effect of insulin on the metabolism of [U-¹⁴C]glucose to CO₂, glyceride-glycerol, and fatty acid observed with adipocytes from normal New Zealand yellow (NZY) mice and young (nonobese) New Zealand obese (NZO) mice was greatly diminished in cells obtained from adult obese NZO mice. Adipocytes from obese NZO mice had lower basal rates of CO₂ formation and fatty acid synthesis than cells from NZY or young NZO mice. Glyceride-glycerol was labeled to a similar extent under basal conditions in adipocytes from all three groups of mice, implying that the basal rate of glucose transport and the enzymes of the glycolytic pathway are intact in obese NZO adipocytes. Both basal and epinephrine-stimulated lipolysis were impaired in adipocytes from obese NZO mice when compared with cells from NZY and young NZO mice. Epinephrine-stimulated lipolysis was markedly less sensitive to the inhibitory effect of insulin in adipocytes from obese NZO mice than in NZY and young NZO controls. These studies suggest that adipocytes from young, nonobese NZO mice do not exhibit resistance to epinephrine and insulin, and that hormone resistance and decreased rates of metabolism accompany the onset and evolution of obesity.     

Effect of a novel thermogenic beta-adrenoceptor agonist (BRL 26830) on insulin resistance in soleus muscle from obese Zucker rats

Young lean (Fa/?) and obese (fa/fa) rats were treated with the thermogenic beta-adrenoceptor agonist, BRL 26830, for 3 weeks. In lean rats this treatment had no effect on body weight but there was a marked increase in the insulin sensitivity of soleus muscle strips with respect to glycolytic rate. Treatment of obese rats with BRL 26830 produced a small but not significant decrease in body weight but the sensitivity of both glycolysis and glycogen synthesis to insulin was increased so that muscles of treated obese rats showed similar insulin sensitivity to untreated lean rats. It is suggested that such changes are unlikely to be merely a secondary consequence of an anti-obesity action.     

Increased sensitivity to somatostatin in obese Zucker rats

The release of somatostatin from the pancreas and stomach following the ingestion of a meal and its increase in the peripheral circulation elicits an attenuation of postprandial hormone secretion such as insulin, pancreatic polypeptide and gastrin and retards the rate at which nutrients enter the circulation. Reduced tissue somatostatin content and/or an attenuated somatostatin release is associated with hyperinsulinism and obesity in certain animal models. In the obese Zucker rat, however, tissue somatostatin levels are increased and therefore the present study was designed to determine the effect of synthetic somatostatin on basal and postprandial arterial insulin levels in obese and lean Zucker rats. Synthetic somatostatin was infused at doses of 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 5 ng/kg X min before and after the intragastric instillation of a liver extract/sucrose test meal. In the obese rats somatostatin at a dose of 5 ng/kg X min reduced basal plasma insulin levels significantly, whereas no effect of somatostatin was observed on basal insulin levels in the lean animals at all doses employed. The integrated postprandial insulin response was reduced during 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 5 ng/kg X min somatostatin in the obese animals, whereas only 0.5 ng/kg X min and higher doses had an inhibitory effect in the lean rats. The degree of inhibition in relation to the postprandial insulin response during saline infusions was 35-230% in the obese and 30-100% in the lean Zucker rats within the range of somatostatin infusions employed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The CB1 Antagonist Rimonabant Decreases Insulin Hypersecretion in Rat Pancreatic Islets

Type 2 diabetes and obesity are characterized by elevated nocturnal circulating free fatty acids, elevated basal insulin secretion, and blunted glucose‐stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). The CB1 receptor antagonist, Rimonabant, has been shown to improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in vivo but its direct effect on islets has been unclear. Islets from lean littermates and obese Zucker (ZF) and Zucker Diabetic Fatty (ZDF) rats were incubated for 24 h in vitro and exposed to 11 mmol/l glucose and 0.3 mmol/l palmitate (GL) with or without Rimonabant. Insulin secretion was determined at basal (3 mmol/l) or stimulatory (15 mmol/l) glucose concentrations. As expected, basal secretion was significantly elevated in islets from obese or GL‐treated lean rats whereas the fold increase in GSIS was diminished. Rimonabant decreased basal hypersecretion in islets from obese rats and GL‐treated lean rats without decreasing the fold increase in GSIS. However, it decreased GSIS in islets from lean rats without affecting basal secretion. These findings indicate that Rimonabant has direct effects on islets to reduce insulin secretion when secretion is elevated above normal levels by diet or in obesity. In contrast, it appears to decrease stimulated secretion in islets from lean animals but not in obese or GL‐exposed islets.     

The actions of dichloroacetic acid on blood glucose, liver glycogen and fatty acid synthesis in obese-hyperglycaemic (ob/ob) and lean mice

Obese-hyperglycaemic mice and lean mice were injected with dichloroacetate to determine the significance of gluconeogenesis in maintaining the hyperglycaemia of obese mice and to investigate the effects of a fall in blood glucose on fatty acid synthesis. One hour after the second of two, hourly, injections of dichloroacetate the blood glucose concentrations in fed and starved lean mice were decreased, whereas in obese mice they were sharply increased. In obese and lean mice, both fed and starved, dichloroacetate decreased plasma lactate but insulin was unchanged. The quantity of liver glycogen was decreased in all dichloroacetate treated mice, with the largest falls in fed and starved obese mice, which had much larger glycogen stores than lean mice. Dichloroacetate treatment decreased the concentration of plasma non-esterified fatty acids in fed and starved obese mice and fed lean mice but not in starved lean mice. Fatty acid synthesis in white (inguinal, subcutaneous) adipose tissue was stimulated by dichloroacetate in fed obese mice and inhibited in fed lean mice. Fatty acid synthesis in brown adipose tissue (scapular) was faster than in white adipose tissue and was less affected by dichloroacetate although the changes were in the same direction as in white adipose tissue. We attribute the increased hyperglycaemia of obese mice treated with dichloroacetate to increased glycogenolysis coupled with a failure to secrete additional insulin in response to the raised blood glucose. This high blood glucose concentration in dichloroacetate treated obese mice may in turn explain the increased fatty acid synthesis in their white adipose tissue.