Sensitization to insulin induced by β,β'-methyl-substituted hexadecanedioic acid (MEDICA 16) in obese Zucker rats in vivo

Nina Mayorek, Bella Kalderon, Etty Itach, Jacob Bar-Tana*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

29 Scopus citations

Abstract

β,β'-methyl-substituted hexadecanedioic acid (MEDICA 16) consists of a nonmetabolizable long-chain fatty acid designed to probe the effect exerted by fatty acids on insulin sensitivity. The effect of MEDICA 16 was evaluated in insulin-resistant Zucker (fa/fa) rats in terms of liver, muscle, and adipose tissue response to clamped euglycemic hyperinsulinemia in vivo. Nontreated Zucker rats were insulin resistant, maintaining basal rates of total-body glucose disposal, glucose production in liver, free fatty acid (FFA) flux into plasma, and FFA reesterification in adipose tissue, irrespective of the insulin levels induced. MEDICA 16 treatment resulted in an insulin-induced decrease in hepatic glucose production, together with an insulin-induced increase in total-body glucose disposal. Intracellular reesterification of lipolysed FFA in adipose tissue was specifically activated by MEDICA 16, resulting in a pronounced decrease in FFA release, with a concomitant decrease in plasma FFA. In conclusion, MEDICA 16 treatment results in the sensitization of liver, muscle, and adipose tissue to insulin in an animal model for obesity-induced insulin resistance.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1958-1964
Number of pages7
JournalDiabetes
Volume46
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1997

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