Biological actions of insulin are differentially regulated by glucose and insulin in primary cultured adipocytes. Chronic ability to increase glycogen synthase activity

Exposition to glucose-based peritoneal dialysis fluids exacerbates adipocyte lipolysis and glycogen storage in rat adipose cells

Glucose absorption during peritoneal dialysis (PD) is suspected to promote visceral fat accretion and weight gain in PD patients. The current study was designed to test the impact of glucose-based PD fluids on adipose cell lipolysis and glycogen content. Rat adipose cells, isolated from epididymal fat pad, were exposed to a 30 vol./70 vol. mixture of glucose-based dialysis solutions (containing 1.36% and 3.86% glucose, Physioneal 35®; Baxter) or Krebs-Henseleit buffer for 4 h. Adipose cells were further incubated with laboratory-made solutions containing 1.36% and 3.86% glucose or mannitol as an osmotic control. Baseline and noradrenaline-stimulated lipolysis was measured, and glycogen content assayed. The glucose-based commercial PD fluids as well as the laboratory-manufactured high glucose solutions exacerbated lipolysis in baseline and noradrenaline conditions and increased glycogen stores in adipose cells. Mannitol solutions (1.36% and 3.86%) used as an osmotic control did not produce such effects. This study provides the first evidence that glucose-based dialysis solutions increase basal as well as stimulated lipolysis in adipocytes, an effect that is directly attributable to high concentrations of glucose per se.

Fat gain with physical detraining is correlated with increased glucose transport and oxidation in periepididymal white adipose tissue in rats

As it is a common observation that obesity tends to occur after discontinuation of exercise, we investigated how white adipocytes isolated from the periepididymal fat of animals with interrupted physical training transport and oxidize glucose, and whether these adaptations support the weight regain seen after 4 weeks of physical detraining. Male Wistar rats (45 days old, weighing 200 g) were divided into two groups (n=10): group D (detrained), trained for 8 weeks and detrained for 4 weeks; and group S (sedentary). The physical exercise was carried out on a treadmill for 60 min/day, 5 days/week for 8 weeks, at 50-60% of the maximum running capacity. After the training protocol, adipocytes isolated from the periepididymal adipose tissue were submitted to glucose uptake and oxidation tests. Adipocytes from detrained animals increased their glucose uptake capacity by 18.5% compared with those from sedentary animals (P<0.05). The same cells also showed a greater glucose oxidation capacity in response to insulin stimulation (34.55%) compared with those from the S group (P<0.05). We hypothesize that, owing to the more intense glucose entrance into adipose cells from detrained rats, more substrate became available for triacylglycerol synthesis. Furthermore, this increased glucose oxidation rate allowed an increase in energy supply for triacylglycerol synthesis. Thus, physical detraining might play a role as a possible obesogenic factor for increasing glucose uptake and oxidation by adipocytes.

Carboxylated and uncarboxylated forms of osteocalcin directly modulate the glucose transport system and inflammation in adipocytes

Osteocalcin is secreted by osteoblasts and improves insulin sensitivity in vivo, although mechanisms remain unclear. We tested the hypothesis that osteocalcin directly modulates cell biology in insulin-targeted peripheral tissues. In L-6 myocytes, osteocalcin stimulated glucose transport both in the absence (basal) and presence of insulin. Similarly, in primary cultured adipocytes, both carboxylated and uncarboxylated osteocalcin increased basal and insulin-stimulated glucose transport as well as insulin sensitivity. Osteocalcin also increased basal and insulin-stimulated glucose oxidation, though there was no effect on fatty acid synthesis or lipolysis. In primary-cultured adipocytes, both forms of osteocalcin suppressed secretion of tumor necrosis factor alpha into the media; however, only carboxylated osteocalcin suppressed interleukin 6 release, and neither form of osteocalcin modulated monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 secretion. Both carboxylated and uncarboxylated osteocalcin increased secretion of adiponectin and the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin 10. In conclusion, both carboxylated and uncarboxylated osteocalcin directly increase glucose transport in adipocytes and muscle cells, while suppressing proinflammatory cytokine secretion and stimulating interleukin 10 and adiponectin release. Thus, these results provide a mechanism for the insulin-sensitizing effects of osteocalcin and help elucidate the role that bone plays in regulating systemic metabolism.

Kinin B1 receptor in adipocytes regulates glucose tolerance and predisposition to obesity

BACKGROUND

Kinins participate in the pathophysiology of obesity and type 2 diabetes by mechanisms which are not fully understood. Kinin B(1) receptor knockout mice (B(1) (-/-)) are leaner and exhibit improved insulin sensitivity.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Here we show that kinin B(1) receptors in adipocytes play a role in controlling whole body insulin action and glucose homeostasis. Adipocytes isolated from mouse white adipose tissue (WAT) constitutively express kinin B(1) receptors. In these cells, treatment with the B(1) receptor agonist des-Arg(9)-bradykinin improved insulin signaling, GLUT4 translocation, and glucose uptake. Adipocytes from B(1) (-/-) mice showed reduced GLUT4 expression and impaired glucose uptake at both basal and insulin-stimulated states. To investigate the consequences of these phenomena to whole body metabolism, we generated mice where the expression of the kinin B(1) receptor was limited to cells of the adipose tissue (aP2-B(1)/B(1) (-/-)). Similarly to B(1) (-/-) mice, aP2-B(1)/B(1) (-/-) mice were leaner than wild type controls. However, exclusive expression of the kinin B(1) receptor in adipose tissue completely rescued the improved systemic insulin sensitivity phenotype of B(1) (-/-) mice. Adipose tissue gene expression analysis also revealed that genes involved in insulin signaling were significantly affected by the presence of the kinin B(1) receptor in adipose tissue. In agreement, GLUT4 expression and glucose uptake were increased in fat tissue of aP2-B(1)/B(1) (-/-) when compared to B(1) (-/-) mice. When subjected to high fat diet, aP2-B(1)/B(1) (-/-) mice gained more weight than B(1) (-/-) littermates, becoming as obese as the wild types.

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE

Thus, kinin B(1) receptor participates in the modulation of insulin action in adipocytes, contributing to systemic insulin sensitivity and predisposition to obesity.

Glucose binds to the insulin receptor affecting the mutual affinity of insulin and its receptor

Insulin activity is sensitive to glucose concentration but the mechanisms are still unclear. An unexamined possibility is that the insulin receptor (IR) is sensitive to glucose concentration. We demonstrate here that insulin-like peptides derived from the IR bind glucose at low millimolar, and cytochalasin B at low micromolar, concentrations; several insulin-like IR peptides bind insulin at nanomolar Kd; and this binding is antagonized by increasing glucose concentrations. In addition, glucose and cytochalasin B bind to IR isolated from rat liver and increasing glucose decreases insulin binding to this IR preparation. The presence of GLUT 1 in our IR preparation suggests the possibility of additional glucose-mediated allosteric control. We propose a model in which glucose binds to insulin, the IR, and GLUT; insulin binds to the IR; and the IR binds to GLUT. This set of interactions produces an integrated system of insulin-dependent interactions that is highly sensitive to glucose concentration.

High sodium intake enhances insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in rat epididymal adipose tissue

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated the effect of different sodium content diets on rat adipose tissue carbohydrate metabolism and insulin sensitivity.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES

Male Wistar rats were fed on normal- (0.5% Na(+); NS), high- (3.12% Na(+); HS),or low-sodium (0.06% Na(+); LS) diets for 3, 6, and 9 weeks after weaning. Blood pressure (BP) was measured using a computerized tail-cuff system. An intravenous insulin tolerance test (ivITT) was performed in fasted animals. At the end of each period, rats were killed and blood samples were collected for glucose and insulin determinations. The white adipose tissue (WAT) from abdominal and inguinal subcutaneous (SC) and periepididymal (PE) depots were weighed and processed for adipocyte isolation and measurement of in vitro rates of insulin-stimulated 2-deoxy-D-[(3)H]-glucose uptake (2DGU) and conversion of -[U-(14)C]-glucose into (14)CO(2).

RESULTS

After 6 weeks, HS diet significantly increased the BP, SC and PE WAT masses, PE adipocyte size, and plasma insulin concentration. The sodium dietary content did not influence the whole-body insulin sensitivity. A higher half-maximal effective insulin concentration (EC(50)) from the dose-response curve of 2DGU and an increase in the insulin-stimulated glucose oxidation rate were observed in the isolated PE adipocytes from HS rats.

DISCUSSION

The chronic salt overload enhanced the adipocyte insulin sensitivity for glucose uptake and the insulin-induced glucose metabolization, contributing to promote adipocyte hypertrophy and increase the mass of several adipose depots, particularly the PE fat pad.

Atypical antipsychotic drugs directly impair insulin action in adipocytes: effects on glucose transport, lipogenesis, and antilipolysis

Treatment with second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) has been associated with weight gain and the development of diabetes mellitus, although the mechanisms are unknown. We tested the hypothesis that SGAs exert direct cellular effects on insulin action and substrate metabolism in adipocytes. We utilized two cultured cell models including 3T3-L1 adipocytes and primary cultured rat adipocytes, and tested for effects of SGAs risperidone (RISP), clozapine (CLZ), olanzapine (OLZ), and quetiapine (QUE), together with conventional antipsychotic drugs butyrophenone (BUTY), and trifluoperazine (TFP), over a wide concentration range from 1 to 500 microM. The effects of antipsychotic drugs on basal and insulin-stimulated rates of glucose transport were studied at 3 h, 15 h, and 3 days. Both CLZ and OLZ (but not RISP) at doses as low as 5 microM were able to significantly decrease the maximal insulin-stimulated glucose transport rate by approximately 40% in 3T3-L1 cells, whereas CLZ and RISP reduced insulin-stimulated glucose transport rates in primary cultured rat adipocytes by approximately 50-70%. Conventional drugs (BUTY and TFP) did not affect glucose transport rates. Regarding intracellular glucose metabolism, both SGAs (OLZ, QUE, RISP) and conventional drugs (BUTY and TFP) increased basal and/or insulin-stimulated glucose oxidation rates, whereas rates of lipogenesis were increased by CLZ, OLZ, QUE, and BUTY. Finally, rates of lipolysis in response to isoproterenol were reduced by the SGAs (CLZ, OLZ, QUE, RISP), but not by BUTY or TFP. These experiments demonstrate that antipsychotic drugs can differentially affect insulin action and metabolism through direct cellular effects in adipocytes. However, only SGAs were able to impair the insulin-responsive glucose transport system and to impair lipolysis in adipocytes. Thus, SGAs directly induce insulin resistance and alter lipogenesis and lipolysis in favor of progressive lipid accumulation and adipocyte enlargement. These effects of SGAs on adipocytes could explain, in part, the association of SGAs with weight gain and diabetes.

Pinealectomy impairs adipose tissue adaptability to exercise in rats

This study investigated the effects of pinealectomy and exercise training on rat adipose tissue metabolism. Pinealectomized (PINX) and sham-operated (CONTROL) adult male Wistar rats were subdivided into four subgroups, including PINX untrained, PINX trained, CONTROL untrained and CONTROL trained. At the end of the training period (8 wk), the rats were killed and peri-epididymal adipocytes were isolated for in vitro insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, conversion of D-[U-14C]-glucose, l-[U-14C]-lactate, [2-14C]-acetate and [1-14C]-palmitate into 14CO2, and insulin binding. Pinealectomy resulted in a significantly decreased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in adipocytes without affecting insulin-binding capacity. However, in intact control animals only, training promoted a higher baseline glucose uptake in adipocytes. Training influenced the adipocyte ability to oxidize the different substrates: the rates of glucose and palmitate oxidation increased while the rates of lactate and acetate diminished. Nevertheless, these effects of exercise training were not seen in pinealectomized rats. Additionally, an increase in palmitate oxidation was observed in sedentary pinealectomized animals. In conclusion, these data show that the pineal gland alters the patterns of substrate utilization by the adipocyte, in such a way that its absence disrupts the ability to adapt to the metabolic demands evoked by exercise training in rats.

Endurance exercise training increases insulin responsiveness in isolated adipocytes through IRS/PI3-kinase/Akt pathway

Endurance exercise training promotes important metabolic adaptations, and the adipose tissue is particularly affected. The aim of this study was to investigate how endurance exercise training modulates some aspects of insulin action in isolated adipocytes and in intact adipose tissue. Male Wistar rats were submitted to daily treadmill running (1 h/day) for 7 wk. Sedentary age-matched rats were used as controls. Final body weight, body weight gain, and epididymal fat pad weight did not show any statistical differences between groups. Adipocytes from trained rats were smaller than those from sedentary rats (205 ± 16.8 vs. 286 ± 26.4 pl; P < 0.05). Trained rats showed decreased plasma glucose (4.9 ± 0.13 vs. 5.3 ± 0.07 mM; P < 0.05) and insulin levels (0.24 ± 0.012 vs. 0.41 ± 0.049 mM; P < 0.05) and increased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake (23.1 ± 3.1 vs. 12.1 ± 2.9 pmol/cm2; P < 0.05) compared with sedentary rats. The number of insulin receptors and the insulin-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor-β subunit did not change between groups. Insulin-induced tyrosine phosphorylation insulin receptor substrates (IRS)-1 and -2 increased significantly (1.57- and 2.38-fold, respectively) in trained rats. Insulin-induced IRS-1/phosphatidylinositol 3 (PI3)-kinase (but not IRS-2/PI3-kinase) association and serine Akt phosphorylation also increased (2.06- and 3.15-fold, respectively) after training. The protein content of insulin receptor-β subunit, IRS-1 and -2, did not differ between groups. Taken together, these data support the hypothesis that the increased adipocyte responsiveness to insulin observed after endurance exercise training is modulated by IRS/PI3-kinase/Akt pathway.

Inositol phosphoglycans and signal transduction systems in pregnancy in preeclampsia and diabetes: evidence for a significant regulatory role in preeclampsia at placental and systemic levels

Measurements have been made of the urinary content of inositol phosphoglycans IPG P-type and IPG A-type, putative insulin second messengers, in preeclampsia, in type I insulin-treated diabetic pregnant women and their matched control subjects, and nonpregnant women of child-bearing age. The content of IPG P-type and IPG A-type was also measured in the placenta from preeclamptic patients and from normal pregnancies. Pregnancy was associated with an increase, approximately twofold, in urinary output of IPG-P-type relative to nonpregnant controls (P<0.01). The 24-h output of IPG P-type in urine in preeclamptic women was significantly higher (2- to 3-fold) than in pregnant control subjects matched for age, parity, and stage of gestation (P<0.02). In contrast, insulin-dependent diabetic pregnant women did not show any significant change in urinary output of IPG P-type or IPG A-type relative to pregnant control subjects. Evidence for a possible relationship and correlation between the urinary excretion of IPG P-type and markers of preeclampsia, including proteinuria (r = 0.720, P<0.01), plasma aspartate transaminase (r = 0.658, P<0.05), and platelet counts (r = 0.613, P<0.05) is presented. A high yield of IPG P-type was extracted from human placenta, in preeclampsia some 3-fold higher (P = 0.03) than the normal value, whereas no IPG A-type (with lipogenic-stimulating activity) was found. Low concentrations of placental IPG A-type were detected relative to IPG P-type using assay systems dependent upon the effect of this mediator on cAMP-dependent protein kinase or on a proliferation assay using thymidine incorporation into DNA of EGFR T17 fibroblasts. It is postulated that the high urinary excretion IPG P-type in preeclampsia reflects high placental levels and relates to the accumulation of glycogen in the placenta. The paracrine effects of placental IPG P-type (stimulation off other endocrine glands and/or endothelial cells) could contribute to the pathogenesis of the maternal syndrome. A possible theoretical link between elevated placental IPG P-type and apoptosis is proposed.

Thiazolidinediones inhibit lipoprotein lipase activity in adipocytes

The thiazolidinediones troglitazone and BRL 49653 improve insulin sensitivity in humans and animals with insulin resistance. Adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase is an insulin-sensitive enzyme. We examined the effects of thiazolidinediones on lipoprotein lipase expression in adipocytes. When added to 3T3-F442A, 3T3-L1, and rat adipocytes in culture, troglitazone and BRL 49653 inhibited lipoprotein lipase activity. This inhibition was observed at concentrations as low as 0.1 microM and within 2 h after addition of the drug. Lipoprotein lipase activity was inhibited in differentiated adipocytes as well as the differentiating cells. Despite this decrease in enzyme activity, these drugs increased mRNA levels in undifferentiated 3T3-F442A and 3T3-L1 cells and had no effect on mRNA expression or synthesis of lipoprotein lipase in differentiated cells. Western blot analysis showed that these drugs did not affect the mass of the enzyme protein. Lipoprotein lipase activity in cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells was not inhibited by troglitazone. Glucose transport, biosynthesis of lipids from glucose or the biosynthesis of proteins were unaffected by thiazolidinediones in differentiated cells, whereas glucose transport and lipid biosynthesis were increased when these drugs were added during differentiation. These results show that troglitazone and BRL 49653 have a specific, post-translational inhibitory effect on lipoprotein lipase in adipocytes, yet they promote lipid accumulation and differentiation in preadipocytes.

Glucosamine-induced insulin resistance in 3T3-L1 adipocytes is caused by depletion of intracellular ATP

Glucosamine, which enters the hexosamine pathway downstream of the rate-limiting step, has been routinely used to mimic the insulin resistance caused by high glucose and insulin. We investigated the effect of glucosamine on insulin-stimulated glucose transport in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. The Delta-insulin (insulin-stimulated minus basal) value for 2-deoxyglucose uptake was dramatically inhibited with increasing concentrations of glucosamine with an ED50 of 1.95 mM. Subcellular fractionation experiments demonstrated that reduction in insulin-stimulated 2-deoxyglucose uptake by glucosamine was due to an inhibition of translocation of both Glut 1 and Glut 4 from the low density microsomes (LDM) to the plasma membrane. Analysis of the insulin signaling cascade revealed that glucosamine impaired insulin receptor autophosphorylation, insulin receptor substrate (IRS-1) phosphorylation, IRS-1-associated PI 3-kinase activity in the LDM, and AKT-1 activation by insulin. Measurement of intracellular ATP demonstrated that the effects of glucosamine were highly correlated with its ability to reduce ATP levels. Reduction of intracellular ATP using azide inhibited Glut 1 and Glut 4 translocation from the LDM to the plasma membrane, insulin receptor autophosphorylation, and IRS-1 tyrosine phosphorylation. Additionally, both the reduction in intracellular ATP and the effects on insulin action caused by glucosamine could be prevented by the addition of inosine, which served as an alternative energy source in the medium. We conclude that direct administration of glucosamine can rapidly lower cellular ATP levels and affect insulin action in fat cells by mechanisms independent of increased intracellular UDP-N-acetylhexosamines and that increased metabolism of glucose via the hexosamine pathway may not represent the mechanism of glucose toxicity in fat cells.

Improved hepatocyte culture system for studying the regulation of glycogen synthase and the effects of diabetes

When 3-4-week-old rats (young rats) are used as a source of hepatocytes, primary culture cells express the adult, differentiated, liver-specific isoform of glycogen synthase. Synthase enzyme protein levels are relatively stable over a 3 day culture period in young but not in adult (> 150 g rat) hepatocyte cultures. Corresponding synthase enzyme activity and mRNA levels decrease over time in culture in adult but not in young hepatocyte cultures. Young rat hepatocytes also have the ability to proliferate in chemically defined medium in the absence of added mitogens. A diabetes-induced increase in total synthase activity has been demonstrated by our lab and others, using cultured hepatocytes, liver homogenates, and perfused livers. In the present study, utilizing synthase-specific antibody and primary cultures of cells from young normal and alloxan diabetic rats, we found that greater total synthase activity in the diabetic cells was associated with higher levels of enzyme protein. Immuneprecipitation of 35S methionine-labeled freshly plated cells demonstrates an increase in the rate of protein synthesis in diabetic as compared with normal cells. Synthase mRNA levels are correspondingly increased in the diabetic relative to normal cells. Chronic exposure of young, normal hepatocytes to increasing levels of glucose induces a dose-dependent increase in total synthase activity, total synthase protein, and synthase message levels. By comparison, cells from diabetic animals do not respond by any of these measures to increased glucose concentrations. We conclude that this defined primary culture system represents a useful model for investigating the regulation of hepatic glycogen synthase and the defects which occur as a result of diabetes.

Glucosamine induces insulin resistance in vivo by affecting GLUT 4 translocation in skeletal muscle. Implications for glucose toxicity

Glucosamine (Glmn), a product of glucose metabolism via the hexosamine pathway, causes insulin resistance in isolated adipocytes by impairing insulin-induced GLUT 4 glucose transporter translocation to the plasma membrane. We hypothesized that Glmn causes insulin resistance in vivo by a similar mechanism in skeletal muscle. We performed euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamps (12 mU/kg/min + 3H-3-glucose) in awake male Sprague-Dawley rats with and without Glmn infusion at rates ranging from 0.1 to 6.5 mg/kg/min. After 4h of euglycemic clamping, hindquarter muscles were quick-frozen and homogenized, and membranes were subfractionated by differential centrifugation and separated on a discontinuous sucrose gradient (25, 30, and 35% sucrose). Membrane proteins were solubilized and immunoblotted for GLUT 4. With Glmn, glucose uptake (GU) was maximally reduced by 33 +/- 1%, P < 0.001. The apparent Glmn dose to reduce maximal GU by 50% was 0.1 mg/kg/min or 1/70th the rate of GU on a molar basis. Control galactosamine and mannosamine infusions had no effect on GU. Relative to baseline, insulin caused a 2.6-fold increase in GLUT 4 in the 25% membrane fraction (f), P < 0.01, and a 40% reduction in the 35%f, P < 0.05, but had no effect on GLUT 4 in the 30% f, P= NS. Addition of Glmn to insulin caused a 41% reduction of GLUT 4 in the 25%f, P < 0.05, a 29% fall in the 30%f, and prevented the reduction of GLUT 4 in the 35% f. The 30%f membranes were subjected to a second separation with a 27 and 30% sucrose gradient. Insulin mobilized GLUT 4 away from the 30%f, P < 0.05, but not the 27% f. In contrast, Glmn reduced GLUT 4 in the 27%f, P < 0.05, but not the 30%f. Thus Glmn appears to alter translocation of an insulin-insensitive GLUT 4 pool. Coinfusion of Glmn did not alter enrichment of the sarcolemmal markers 5'-nucleotidase, Na+/K+ATPase, and phospholemman in either 25, 30, or 35% f. Thus Glmn completely blocked movement of Glut 4 induced by insulin. Glmn is a potent inducer of insulin resistance in vivo by causing (at least in part) a defect intrinsic to GLUT 4 translocation and/or trafficking. These data support a potential role for Glmn to cause glucose-induced insulin resistance (glucose toxicity).