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B Leighton

Publications and source records attributed to B Leighton.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Beta-adrenoceptor-agonist and insulin actions on glucose metabolism in rat skeletal muscle in different thyroid states.

1. The actions of the beta-adrenoceptor agonist isoprenaline on glucose and glycogen metabolism, in the presence of various concentrations of insulin, were investigated in isolated soleus muscle preparations taken from eu-, hyper- and hypothyroid rats. 2. Hyperthyroidism, induced by 3,3',5-tri-iodo-D-thyronine (T3) administration for 5 days, increased the rate of lactate formation and suppressed the rate of glycogen synthesis in soleus muscle in response to isoprenaline, even in the presence of physiological or supraphysiological insulin concentrations. 3. Hypothyroidism, induced by administration of 6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil for 4 weeks, decreased the rate of isoprenaline-stimulated lactate formation at all insulin concentrations, but significantly decreased the responsiveness of lactate formation only at low insulin concentrations. In the presence of 100 or 10,000 mu-units of insulin/ml, the ability of isoprenaline to suppress the rate of glycogen synthesis was markedly impaired (inhibition at 100 mu-units of insulin/ml and 1 micro-M-isoprenaline: eu- 72.6 +/- 2.9%; hypo-41.0 +/- 2.1%; P less than 0.001). 4. Hyperthyroidism had no effect on the number or affinity of beta-adrenoceptors, defined by 125I-pindolol binding, or beta-adrenoceptor- or forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in membrane preparations of gastrocnemius muscle, whereas hypothyroidism increased the beta-adrenoceptor density and decreased the beta-adrenoceptor-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity, without affecting the receptor affinity or forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. 5. It is concluded that there is a complex interplay between insulin, catecholamines and thyroid hormones to regulate skeletal-muscle glucose metabolism. The changes observed in muscles in hypothyroidism may be explained, at least in part, by changes in beta-adrenoceptor-G-protein-adenylate cyclase coupling affecting the generation of cyclic AMP and the regulation of some of the key enzymes of glycogen metabolism; in contrast, the changes observed in muscles in hyperthyroidism do not appear to result from alterations at the level of the receptor-mediated second-messenger generation.

Adrenergic beta-Agonists↗
PubMed1991

Cross-reactivity of amylin with calcitonin-gene-related peptide binding sites in rat liver and skeletal muscle membranes.

This study examines whether the high degree of sequence identity between amylin and calcitonin-gene-related peptide (CGRP) is reflected in their cross-reactivity at the level of membrane receptor binding. Rat liver plasma membranes contain a specific saturable binding site for 125I-labelled human CGRP-1. Binding reached equilibrium within 30 min and was rapidly reversed by re-incubating membranes in the presence of 1 microM human CGRP. In addition, the presence of 50 mM- or 500 mM-NaCl lowered specific binding by 30% and 77% respectively. Scatchard analysis was consistent with a single high-affinity site with a dissociation constant (Kd) of 0.125 nM and binding capacity (Bmax.) of 580 fmol/mg of membrane protein. Specific binding of 125I-labelled human CGRP-1 to both liver and skeletal muscle membranes was inhibited by human CGRP-1 [IC50 (concn. causing half-maximal inhibition of binding) 0.1-0.3 nM], and rat amylin (IC50 10 nM), but not by human calcitonin. Covalent cross-linking of 125I-CGRP to its binding site in rat skeletal muscle and liver membranes resulted in labelling of a major species of about 70 kDa under reducing conditions and about 55 kDa under alkylating conditions, as visualized on SDS/PAGE. These radiolabelled species were absent in the presence of CGRP or amylin at 1 microM. These results are indicative of a common binding site for both CGRP and amylin in liver and skeletal muscle, and it is suggested that both peptides mediate their actions through the same effector system. The normal physiological importance and the relevance to the pathology of type 2 diabetes of these data are discussed.

Amyloid↗
PubMed1991

Peroxovanadates have full insulin-like effects on glycogen synthesis in normal and insulin-resistant skeletal muscle.

1. The insulin-like effects of orthovanadate (10 mM) and peroxides of vanadate (peroxovanadates, at 1 mM) on rates of lactate formation, glucose oxidation and glycogen synthesis were measured in incubated soleus-muscle preparations isolated from non-obese Wistar rats and lean (fa/?) or insulin-resistant obese Zucker (fa/fa) rats. 2. The stimulation of the rates of lactate formation and glucose oxidation by either orthovanadate or peroxovanadates was of similar magnitude to the stimulation by a maximally effective concentration of insulin (1000 microunits/ml). 3. Peroxovanadates, but not orthovanadate, maximally stimulated the rate of glycogen synthesis in incubated soleus muscles isolated from Wistar rats. 4. When soleus-muscle preparations were incubated in the presence of both insulin (1000 microunits/ml) and peroxovanadates (1 mM), this did not result in a synergistic increase in the rate of total glucose utilization as compared with either agent alone. 5. Soleus muscles isolated from obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats exhibited a decrease in response to a physiologically relevant concentration of insulin (100 microunits/ml). Peroxovanadates, at 1 mM, maximally stimulated the rate of glycogen synthesis in soleus muscles isolated from obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats. 6. The findings indicate that peroxovanadates are useful and important agents for investigating the mechanism of action of insulin in skeletal muscle.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Physiological glucocorticoid levels regulate glutamine and insulin-mediated glucose metabolism in skeletal muscle of the rat. Studies with RU 486 (mifepristone).

This study examined the effects of antagonism of the peak level of glucocorticoids in vivo, which occurs as rats enter the feeding/activity (dark) period on glucose and glutamine metabolism in incubated isolated rat soleus muscle preparations. Thus the rats were treated with the potent glucocorticoid antagonist RU 486 2 h before and 1 and 2 h into the dark period. Both the content of glutamine in skeletal muscle in vivo and plasma glucose and glutamine concentrations were elevated midway through the dark period, compared with the beginning of the period. RU 486 prevented the increases in plasma glucose and glutamine and caused a significant decrease in both the rate of release of glutamine in soleus muscle in vitro and the content of glutamine in gastrocnemius muscle. The sensitivity of soleus muscle to insulin in vitro is markedly decreased when isolated midway through the dark period (i.e. at 03:00 h) [Leighton, Kowalchuk, Challiss & Newsholme (1988) Am. J. Physiol. 255, E41-E45]. We now show that the concentrations of insulin required to stimulate lactate formation and glycogen synthesis half-maximally were 95 and 250 muunits/ml respectively, and treatment of rats with RU 486 decreased these values to 55 and 90 muunits of insulin/ml respectively. Thus antagonism of the action of the normal circadian rise in the level of glucocorticoids in rats reverses insulin insensitivity in soleus muscles in vitro.

Alanine↗
PubMed1991

The effect of tumour bearing on skeletal muscle glutamine metabolism.

1. The effects of tumour bearing on glutamine metabolism in rat skeletal muscle were examined using the Walker 256 carcinosarcoma. 2. There was a rapid and marked decrease in skeletal muscle glutamine content, which was correlated with the size of the tumour, and a decrease in plasma glutamine concentration. 3. The rate of release of glutamine from EDL muscle in vitro was increased in cachectic, tumour bearing animals, but was unaffected from the soleus muscle of the same animals. 4. It is hypothesized that the increase in the rate of muscle glutamine release during cachexia represents a response of this tissue in order to satisfy the demand for glutamine by the tumour or by cells of the immune system.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Effects of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism on glutamine metabolism by skeletal muscle of the rat.

1. The effects of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism on the concentrations of glutamine and other amino acids in the muscle and plasma and on the rates of glutamine and alanine release from incubated isolated stripped soleus muscle of the rat were investigated. 2. Hyperthyroidism decreased the concentration of glutamine in soleus muscle but was without effect on that in the gastrocnemius muscle or in the plasma. Hyperthyroidism also increased markedly the rate of release of glutamine from the incubated soleus muscle. 3. Hypothyroidism decreased the concentrations of glutamine in the gastrocnemius muscle and plasma but was without effect on that in soleus muscle. Hypothyroidism also decreased markedly the rate of glutamine release from the incubated soleus muscle. 4. Thyroid status was found to have marked effects on the rate of glutamine release by skeletal muscle per se, and may be important in the control of this process in both physiological and pathological conditions.

Alanine↗
PubMed1990

Effects of physiological and pathological levels of glucocorticoids on skeletal muscle glutamine metabolism in the rat.

The effects of physiological and pathological concentrations of glucocorticoids were investigated using the glucocorticoid antagonist RU486 and the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone, respectively. The effects of these treatments on the concentrations of glutamine and other amino acids in skeletal muscle and plasma and on the rates of release of glutamine and alanine from incubated preparations of skeletal muscle of the rat were investigated. Dexamethasone treatment increased the concentration of glutamine and the rate of release of this amino acid from incubated soleus muscle preparations. This treatment decreased the concentration of glutamine in both gastrocnemius and EDL muscles, but was without effect on the rate of glutamine release from EDL muscles. In contrast, administration of the glucocorticoid antagonist RU486 decreased the rate of glutamine release from muscle. It is concluded that glucocorticoids have marked effects on the metabolism of glutamine by skeletal muscle per se and that these hormones may be important in the control of the rate of glutamine release from muscle in both physiological and pathological conditions.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1990

Thyroid hormone analogue SKF L-94901: effects on amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism in rat skeletal muscle in vitro.

In summary, hyperthyroidism increased the rate of glycolysis and decreased glycogen synthesis in isolated incubated rat soleus muscle preparations. SKF 901 also increased glycolysis, but the stimulation was 5-fold less than in T3-treated muscles. Hyperthyroidism increased the rate of glutamine release from skeletal muscle, but SKF 901 did not affect glutamine metabolism.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1990

The effects of amylin on carbohydrate metabolism in skeletal muscle in vitro and in vivo.

1. The effects of synthetic human amylin on basal and insulin-stimulated (100 and 1000 microunits/ml) rates of lactate formation, glucose oxidation and glycogen synthesis were measured in the isolated rat soleus muscle preparation incubated in the presence of various concentrations of glucose (5, 11 and 22 mM). 2. The rate of glucose utilization was increased by about 2-fold by increasing the glucose concentration from 5 to 22 mM. 3. Synthetic human amylin (10 nM) significantly inhibited (by 46-56%) glycogen synthesis, irrespective of the concentration of insulin or glucose present in the incubation medium. 4. Amylin (10 nM) did not affect insulin-stimulated rates of 2-deoxy[3H]glucose transport and phosphorylation. 5. Intraperitoneal administration of insulin (100 micrograms/kg) to rats in vivo stimulated the rate of [U-14C]glucose incorporation into glycogen in the diaphragm by about 80-fold. This rate was decreased (by 28%) by co-administration of amylin (66 micrograms/kg).

Amyloid↗
PubMed1990

The role of amylin in the insulin resistance of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Decreased responsiveness of glucose metabolism to insulin in skeletal muscle and the liver (insulin resistance or insensitivity) is characteristic of many conditions, including non-insulin-dependent (type II) diabetes mellitus. Most current work in this area centres on the hypothesis that the primary defect is an impairment of insulin binding and/or transduction of the insulin signal in affected tissues. However, studies imply that defects in the post-insulin receptor signaling pathways are of primary importance in the causation of insulin resistance. Amylin, a novel pancreatic hormone, secreted along with insulin from the pancreatic beta-cells, can modulate insulin effects, to produce insulin resistance in skeletal muscle and liver.

Amyloid↗
PubMed1990

Induction of insulin resistance in vivo by amylin and calcitonin gene-related peptide.

During hyperinsulinemic glucose-clamp studies, intravenous infusion of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in rats antagonized the ability of insulin to stimulate peripheral glucose disposal by 52% (196 +/- 7.2 vs. 105 +/- 10.5 mumol.kg-1.min-1, P less than 0.05) and to inhibit hepatic glucose output by 54% (P less than 0.01). CGRP also inhibited the in vitro effects of insulin to stimulate hexose uptake in cultured BC3H1 myocytes at all insulin concentrations studied. Amylin is a peptide isolated from amyloid deposits in pancreatic islets of type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic subjects, is present in normal beta-cells, and bears a striking homology to CGRP. When synthetic human amylin was infused during clamp studies, it inhibited the ability of insulin to stimulate glucose disposal by 56% (96.9 +/- 9.4 vs. 42.4 +/- 5.0 mumol.kg-1.min-1, P less than 0.05) and to suppress hepatic glucose output by 64%. Therefore, amylin and CGRP can cause insulin resistance in vivo and may be implicated in insulin-resistant states such as type II diabetes mellitus.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1990

The role of prostaglandins as modulators of insulin-stimulated glucose metabolism in skeletal muscle.

Prostaglandins of the E series are known to increase the sensitivity of glucose uptake to insulin in isolated, incubated skeletal muscle of the rat. In the present study the relationships between changes in both insulin sensitivity and prostaglandins E2 metabolism were investigated. Chronic treatment of rats with the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone causes an insulin resistant state in vivo. Also, the sensitivity of glucose metabolism to insulin from normal rats varies over a 24-h period. In both these rat models the sensitivity of glucose metabolism to insulin in isolated skeletal muscle was greatest when the content or rates of release of prostaglandin E2 were highest. These results strongly suggest that changes in PGE2 metabolism can influence the sensitivity of glucose metabolism to insulin in skeletal muscle.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Effects of diet and exercise on the in vivo rates of the triglyceride-fatty acid cycle in adipose tissue and muscle of the rat.

The effects of feeding a low-protein diet (5 percent w/w) and daily exercise on the rates of substrate (futile) cycling between triglyceride and fatty acids (TG-FA cycle) were studied in rats in vivo using a radiochemical assay that involves following the incorporation of tritium from 3H-H2O into the fatty acid and glycerol moieties of triglyceride. Sixty-four rats were fed either a purified control diet (COND) consisting of 70 percent carbohydrate, 20 percent protein, 5 percent fat or an experimental low protein (LPD) diet consisting of 80 percent carbohydrate, 5 percent protein and 10 percent fat (w/w) and were either exercised six days weekly or remained sedentary for six weeks. Both LPD and exercise training (EXT) were found to increase significantly the rate of TG-FA substrate cycling above the rates observed in dietary and sedentary control groups. The LPD increased significantly the rate of cycling in interscapular brown adipose (IBAT), while adipose (WAT) and diaphragm muscle. EXT increased the rates of substrate cycling in soleus, heart, and diaphragm muscle and WAT. Rate of cycling in cardiac or skeletal muscle was one-twentieth that found in adipose tissue. There were also sex differences in the rate of substrate cycling. Substrate cycling in soleus and heart muscle of male animals were consistently higher than respective female treatment groups. Sedentary and EXT LPD animals weighed significantly less than but consumed a similar amount of food to the respective COND animals. These data provide the first in vivo evidence that the rate of substrate cycling can be increased by diet or by exercise training. The possible importance of TG-FA and other substrate cycles on efficiency of energy metabolism and etiology of obesity are discussed.

Adipose Tissue↗