Endocrinology, Vol 105, 1237-1242, Copyright © 1979 by Endocrine Society

ARTICLES

Effects of insulin on glucose metabolism and glucose transport in fat cells of hormone-treated hypophysectomized rats: evidence that growth hormone restricts glucose transport

E Schoenle, J Zapf and ER Froesch

In earlier studies we have shown that insulin does not stimulate glucose incorporation in adipocytes of hypophysectomized (hypox) rats. Basal glucose incorporation is decreased, although basal 3-O- methylglycose transport is very rapid and cannot be further stimulated by insulin. In this study we treated hypox rats with human GH, ACTH, and T3, alone or in combination, and examined the effects of insulin on glucose incorporation into fat cells and on 3-O-methylglucose transport. The results show that chronic administration of T3 alone to hypox rats partially restores glucose incorporation into fat cells and, in combination with ACTH, completely restores this incorporation. The two hormones have no effect on the glucose carrier system. The transport rate under T3 and ACTH replacement therapy continues to proceed at a maximal rate, so that basal glucose incorporation is high but not further enhanced by insulin. In contrast, administration of human GH to hypox rats does not influence glucose incorporation but has a marked effect on glucose transport. The basal glucose transport rate returns toward normal and again responds to insulin. This suggests 1) that enzyme activities responsible for the lipogenetic capacity of the fat cell are decreased in hypox rats and returned toward normal by the combined T3/ACTH treatment, and 2) that the limitation of glucose transport in the fat cell is controlled by GH. GH seems to induce a change of the glucose-carrier system; it leads to a restriction of glucose transport, which is acutely modulated by insulin.