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Insulin receptors and insulin sensitivity in normo and hyperinsulinemic obese patients

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Abstract

The authors have studied insulin receptors on peripheral blood monocytes and insulin sensitivity, evaluated by simultaneous infusion of glucose, insulin and somatostatin in 10 control subjects and in 20 obese patients with normal glucose tolerance. The obese patients have been divided into two groups, normo (NO) and hyperinsulinemic (HO), according to the total insulm response during OGTT. We considered HO patients with insulin response higher than M + 2DS of controls. Obese patients showed, in comparison to the controls, a lower specific binding and higher degree of insulin resistance. The subdivision of obese patients allowed us to distinguish two groups. The first was characterized by basal hyperinsulinemia, normal insulin response to the stimulus, reduced number of insulin receptors and normal or slightly reduced sensitivity. The second group showed high basal and after stimulus insulinemic values, reduced number of insulin receptors and high level of insulin resistance. When we compared the two groups of obeses we found that the first has a shorter duration of obesity and lower blood glucose values after OGTT. However both groups show the same reduction of insulin bound and the same degree of basal hyperinsulinemia. These data suggest that a reduction of insulin receptors is not the main factor responsible for insulin resistance in obesity. Furthermore, the presence of basal hyperinsulinemia and normal insulin sensitivity in our first group suggests that the modification of basal insulin concentrations is not dependent on the presence of insulin resistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto Pluridisciplinare di Clinica Medica e Terapia Medica Generale e Speciale, Università degli studi di Messina, Via Consolare Pompea, Complesso Andalusia Paradiso, 98100, Messina, Italy

    A. Carducci Artenisio (Cattedra di Malattie del Ricambio), F. Ragonese (Cattedra di Malattie del Ricambio), F. Forte (Cattedra di Malattie del Ricambio), G. Saitta (Cattedra di Malattie del Ricambio), G. Perrone (Cattedra di Malattie del Ricambio), G. Lettina (Cattedra di Malattie del Ricambio), R. Campisi (Cattedra di Malattie del Ricambio) & F. Consolo (Cattedra di Malattie del Ricambio)

  2. Prof. Inc. Chimica Biologica, Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    R. Campisi (Cattedra di Malattie del Ricambio)

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  1. A. Carducci Artenisio
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  3. F. Forte
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  4. G. Saitta
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Additional information

This work has been partially presented orally at the 11 th Congress of International Diabetes Federation.

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Artenisio, A.C., Ragonese, F., Forte, F. et al. Insulin receptors and insulin sensitivity in normo and hyperinsulinemic obese patients. J Endocrinol Invest 8, 233–239 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03348483

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03348483

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