Effects of insulin on glucose metabolism in isolated human fat cells

Abstract

Isolated fat cells were used for the study of in vitro effects of insulin on glucose metabolism in human and rat adipose tissue. In human subcutaneous fat cells, effects of insulin could be detected at concentrations of glucose in the medium from 1 to 10 micro moles/ml. Cellular responsiveness was inversely proportional to the glucose level. At a constant concentration of 6 micro moles of glucose per ml, the effects of insulin at various concentrations up to 500 micro U/ml were investigated. At the highest concentration, which gave the maximal response, there was a 100% increase in the conversion of glucose-U-(14)C to glyceride-glycerol and a 40% increase in glucose oxidation. The dose-response curve was steepest between 2 and 20 micro U/ml. Rat epididymal fat cells were much more responsive to insulin. Glucose lipogenesis and pentose cycle activity could also be demonstrated in rat cells, whereas these activities could not be shown in fat cells from human omental and subcutaneous tissue. The findings for human cells are attributed to changes in cellular activity during preparation.