Insulin processing. Its correlation with glucose conversion to CO2.

Abstract

Insulin-receptor binding, insulin degradation and biologic response (14C-glucose conversion into 14CO2) were studied in adipocytes of control (CG), fasted (FG-88 hr) and hyperinsulinic rats (HG-exogenous hyperinsulinism). The number of cells normalized to 3.5 X 10(5) cells/tube in all three groups. Insulin binding and degradation were studied at 5, 15, 30, 60 and 120 minutes of incubation with 3.5 X 10(-11) M, 6.66 X 10(-11) M, 1.0 X 10(-9) M, 6.66 X 10(-9) and 6.66 X 10(-6) M insulin. The net increments of 14CO2 taken into account (delta U-14C-glucose converted into 14CO2) ranged from the basal value to 10(6) microU in each case (30, 60 and 120 minutes). Quantitative analysis of results was performed with the Terris and Steiner degradation equation (formula; see text) (IR). Differences in insulin binding, comparing the three groups, lacked statistical significance, though FG data were systematically plotted above those of CG, occurring the opposite with HG. Degradation studies showed HG to have values statistically higher than the controls, while FG values were lower. HG also showed higher amounts of 14CO2, with basal levels more elevated than CG, while FG showed the inverse behavior. 14CO2 increased in the three groups along the 120-minutes incubation period (30, 60 and 120 minutes). Receptor-mediated degradation at 30 minutes, when binding is in steady state, showed a Kap value very close to that found by linear regression for the 2 and 10 microU doses (Kap min-1 CG: 0.1654, FG: 0.0824, HG: 0.5045; slope values for the 2 and 10 microU doses CG: 0.2181, FG: 0.0824, HG: 0.3718). The degradation velocity, considered as function of IR, was constant in each group at 30, 60 and 120 minutes. Since Kap values in the FG and HG indicate differences in their degradation velocities, this constant can be considered as indicative of the metabolic situations under study. At the same time, the biologic response (14C-glucose conversion into 14CO2) depends as well on the metabolic conditions. Glucose consumption and Kap value were then compared. All the groups showed linear correlation between the binding dependent velocity of degradation (Kap) and the net conversion of U-14C-glucose into 14CO2 at 30, 60 and 120 minutes, with ordinate close to zero (30 min: 0.1539; 60 min: -0.3812; 120 min: 0.1311). The slope increased along the incubation period, indicating that 14CO2 accumulation is time dependent.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)