The influence of insulin on the metabolism of glucosamine in the isolated rat diaphragm muscle

1. The influence of insulin on the metabolism of 1-¹⁴C]glucosamine by diaphragm muscle from normal rats and rats rendered diabetic with streptozotocin has been studied. 2. The glucosamine was converted into glucosamine 1-phosphate, glucosamine 6-phosphate, glycogen, lactate and small amounts of other unidentified intermediates. 3. Insulin increased the incorporation of ¹⁴C into glycogen in both the normal and diabetic muscle, but did not increase the formation of the glucosamine phosphate esters. 4. The ¹⁴C content in the glycogen was present partly as glucose and partly as glucosamine; there was significantly more ¹⁴C]glucose in the glycogen of the diabetic muscle than in that of the normal muscle.