Influence of aging on hepatic and peripheral glucose metabolism in humans.

Mechanisms of glucose intolerance with aging were studied by comparing the metabolic response to glucose ingestion in 10 young (20-23 yr) and 10 elderly (73-80 yr) normal men with the simultaneous application of the forearm and double-isotope techniques. The latter technique consisted of a primed-constant infusion of [3-3H]glucose followed by the administration of an oral glucose load (mean +/- SE, 90.7 +/- 0.7 g) containing [1-14C]glucose. Fasting plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were similar in young and elderly subjects, but in the elderly, glucose tolerance was markedly impaired. Although in the elderly the initial rise in insulin levels (delta, i.e., the incremental area under the curve) from 0 to 30 min was delayed (P less than .02), the response from 0 to 45 min, 0 to 60 min, and thereafter equaled that in the young group, and from 90 to 240 min insulin concentrations in the elderly exceeded those in young subjects. Basal hepatic glucose output (HGO) was similar in young and elderly men (2.13 +/- 0.10 and 1.97 +/- 0.14 mg.kg-1.min-1, respectively). Similar proportional reductions in HGO from 0 to 270 min after glucose loading occurred in young (59.7 +/- 10.3%) and elderly (50.3 +/- 4.9%) subjects but was delayed in the elderly. Suppression of HGO was observed in the young 30 min after glucose ingestion (P less than .02), but not before 60 min in the elderly subjects (P less than .05). The systemic appearance of ingested glucose (0-270 min) was slowed with age (80.7 +/- 3.1 and 66.9 +/- 4.3% of the oral load in the young and elderly groups, respectively; P less than .02). Initial increments in both total glucose disappearance (Rd) and forearm glucose uptake (FGU) from 0 to 60 min after glucose loading were decreased in the elderly (Rd, 4.1 +/- 0.7 vs. 11.5 +/- 1.3 g, P less than .001; FGU, 17.2 +/- 1.4 vs. 24.6 +/- 2.5 md/dl forearm, P less than .02). The overall increment (delta, 0-270 min) in Rd was reduced with age (47.2 +/- 2.9 and 34.5 +/- 3.6 g, P less than .02 in the young and elderly, respectively), but the corresponding data for FGU were similar in the two groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Mechanism of metformin action in non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

The mechanism of action of metformin was studied by comparing glucose turnover before and after a 75-g oral glucose load in 10 nonobese men with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) during metformin and placebo therapy by the combined application of the forearm and double-isotope techniques. During the study, 9 of the 10 patients were regularly receiving glibenclamide therapy. In 5 of the men, the first study was performed during metformin therapy, and the second study was done during placebo administration; in the other 5 subjects, the order was reversed. The interval between the studies was at least 3 mo. The metformin dosage was 1 g twice daily in 9 of the patients and 850 mg thrice daily in the 10th subject. In the basal state, metformin administration reduced plasma glucose levels from 172 +/- 14 to 103 +/- 9 mg/dl (P less than .005), hepatic glucose output (HGO) from 2.67 +/- 0.15 to 2.20 +/- 0.20 mg X kg-1 X min-1 (P less than .02), and forearm glucose uptake (FGU) from 0.106 +/- 0.18 to 0.039 +/- 0.016 mg X 100 ml-1 forearm X min-1 (P less than .005), whereas insulin (23 +/- 6 microU/ml) and lactate (1.56 +/- 0.18 mM) levels were unchanged. Although the oral glucose tolerance curve (OGTC) was significantly lowered by metformin, the incremental area under the curve and the insulin response were unchanged. The systemic appearance of ingested glucose was unaffected by metformin; 64 +/- 2% of the load was recovered peripherally in 3 h.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Peripheral lactate and oxygen metabolism in man: the influence of oral glucose loading.

We investigated the influence of oral glucose loading (100 g) on glucose, lactate, and oxygen metabolism by deep (mainly muscle) and superficial (mainly skin and adipose tissue) forearm tissues. In normal men aged 19 to 32 years (mean +/- SE, 24 +/- 1), basal arterialized venous-deep venous (A-DV) and arterialized venous-superficial venous (A-SV) plasma glucose concentration differences were 4.1 +/- 1.0 (P less than 0.001) and 4.7 +/- 1.0 (P less than 0.005) mg/dL, respectively, but increased markedly following glucose loading. During the first, second, and third hours after glucose ingestion, A-DV differences were 54 +/- 6,43 +/- 3, and 20 +/- 4 mg/dL, respectively, while the corresponding A-SV differences were 39 +/- 4, 17 +/- 2, and 8 +/- 2 mg/dL, respectively. Forearm glucose uptake by deep (FGU-D) and superficial (FGU-S) tissues basally was 0.057 +/- 0.010 and 0.012 +/- 0.002 mg/100 mL forearm/min respectively. From 15 to 180 minutes after glucose loading, mean FGU-D and FGU-S rose to 0.524 +/- 0.083 and 0.056 +/- 0.006 mg/100 mL forearm/min, respectively. Basal A, SV, and DV lactate concentrations were 0.55 +/- 0.04, 0.78 +/- 0.03, and 0.57 +/- 0.04 mmol/L, respectively (A-SV, P less than 0.001; SV-DV, P less than 0.001; A-DV, NS). Lactate production by superficial tissues (0.079 +/- 0.015 mumol/100 mL forearm/min) accounted for 62% of concurrent FGU-S.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Basal glucose homeostasis with and without fixed concentrations of glucagon and insulin.

The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which the basal steady state could be maintained with fixed concentrations of glucagon and insulin. To this end, arterial plasma glucose concentrations and peripheral glucose uptake (using the forearm technique) were compared in healthy men (age 19 to 23 years) in the normal postabsorptive state and after suppression of endogenous pancreatic secretion. Two groups (A and B), each consisting of four men, were studied. In group A, the study comprised a control period (I) of 40 minutes followed by a test period (II) of 180 minutes during which normal pancreatic secretion was maintained throughout. In group B, the study comprised a control period (I) of 40 minutes, a stabilization period (II) of 120 minutes, and a test period (III) of 120 minutes. After the control period with normal pancreatic secretion, a new steady state with fixed hormone concentrations was established during the first 90 minutes of period II using simultaneous infusions of somatostatin (250 micrograms/h), insulin (0.15 mU/kg/min) and glucagon, the latter being adjusted to maintain a stable arterial glucose level similar to the preceding control concentration. Thereafter, without further adjustment of the glucagon infusion rate, observations were continued during period III to assess the maintenance of the steady state. In group A, the range of variation in arterial glucose concentrations during periods I and II was 4.0 +/- 0.9 and 6.5 +/- 1.3 mg/dL, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Impact of glucose ingestion on hepatic and peripheral glucose metabolism in man: an analysis based on simultaneous use of the forearm and double isotope techniques.

The metabolic response to glucose ingestion was studied in 10 normal men (aged 21-23 yr) by the simultaneous application of the forearm and double isotope techniques. The latter consisted of a primed constant infusion of [3-3H]glucose, followed by the administration of an oral glucose load (mean +/- SE, 90.7 +/- 0.7 g) containing [1-14C]glucose. Most (80.6 +/- 8.1%) of the ingested glucose appeared systemically within 270 min, suggesting that initial splanchnic glucose extraction accounted for 19.4 +/- 3.1% (17.7 +/- 2.8 g) of the oral load. Basal hepatic glucose output (2.22 +/- 0.12 mg/kg X min) was reduced (P less than 0.005) within 30 min after glucose loading and remained suppressed throughout the study; its mean reduction from 0-270 min was 54.9 +/- 9.9%, thereby accounting for the conservation of 26.5 +/- 4.9 g glucose. Suprabasal glucose appearance from 0-270 min was 46.6 +/- 4.3 g. Forearm glucose uptake rose 8.5-fold to 0.664 +/- 0.083 mg/100 ml forearm X min at 45 min, but basal forearm oxygen uptake (6.1 +/- 0.4 mumol/100 ml forearm X min) did not change. The increment in glucose disappearance from 0-270 min was 46.4 +/- 3.8 g, of which increased glucose uptake by muscle, determined from the forearm glucose uptake data, accounted for 37.7 +/- 5.1 g (81%). If uptake of the remaining 8.7 g was shared equally by the liver and peripheral tissues, the splanchnic bed and periphery would account, respectively, for 47.1 g (52%) and 43.5 g (48%) of the ingested load. We conclude that splanchnic and peripheral tissues contribute almost equally to the total homeostatic response; in kinetic terms, decreased hepatic glucose output and increased glucose uptake (splanchnic plus peripheral) constitute 29% and 71% of the total response, respectively; restoration of basal glucose kinetics after glucose ingestion requires more than 270 min; and increased peripheral oxygen uptake is not the mechanism of glucose-induced thermogenesis which, instead, may reflect increased splanchnic oxygen consumption.

The influence of graded hyperglycemia with and without physiological hyperinsulinemia on forearm glucose uptake and other metabolic responses in man.

We studied the influence of hyperglycemia on glucose homeostasis in man by determining the effect of graded hyperglycemia on peripheral glucose uptake and systemic metabolism in the presence of basal and increased serum insulin concentrations in 10 normal men. This was achieved by the simultaneous application of forearm and clamp techniques (euglycemic and hyperglycemic) during the combined iv infusion of somatostatin, glucagon, and insulin. While mean (+/- SE) basal serum insulin levels (14 +/- 2 microU/ml) were maintained, the elevation of fasting arterial glucose concentrations (90 +/- 1 mg/dl) to 146 +/- 1 and 202 +/- 1 mg/dl (each for 120 min) increased forearm glucose uptake (FGU) only modestly from 0.06 +/- 0.01 to 0.15 +/- 0.02 and then to 0.24 +/- 0.03 mg/100 ml forearm X min, respectively. During physiological hyperinsulinemia (47 +/- 3 microU/ml), the influence of similar graded hyperglycemia on FGU was considerably enhanced. At plasma glucose concentrations of 90 +/- 1, 139 +/- 1, and 206 +/- 1 mg/dl, FGU rose to 0.33 +/- 0.05, 0.59 +/- 0.07, and 0.83 +/- 0.12 mg/100 ml forearm X min, respectively. The glucose infusion rate required to maintain the glucose clamp with basal insulin levels was 1.08 +/- 0.20 and 2.67 +/- 0.39 mg/kg X min at glucose concentrations of 146 +/- 1 and 202 +/- 1 mg/dl, respectively. During physiological hyperinsulinemia, however, the glucose infusion rate required was 4.15 +/- 0.39, 9.45 +/- 1.05, and 12.70 +/- 0.81 mg/kg X min at glucose levels of 90 +/- 1, 139 +/- 1, and 206 +/- 1 mg/dl, respectively. Lactate concentrations rose significantly during hyperglycemia, but the rise in the presence of increased insulin concentrations (from 0.72 +/- 0.06 to 1.31 +/- 0.11 mmol/liter; P less than 0.001) considerably exceeded the increment (from 0.74 +/- 0.05 to 0.92 +/- 0.03 mmol/liter) with basal insulin levels. While both FFA and glycerol concentrations were immediately reduced by euglycemic hyperinsulinemia, the fall in FFA during hyperglycemia in the presence of basal insulin levels preceded the decrease in glycerol concentrations by 45 min. Forearm oxygen consumption did not change throughout the study.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)