Metabolic Derangements in Excessive Insulin and Sulfonylurea Therapy

Summary Mild streptozotocin diabetic rats, characterized by normal or slighty elevated fasting blood glucose levels and glucose intolerance, treated with excessive doses of monocomponent pork insulin (0.5 U/day) (I) or glybenclamide (0.6 mg/day) (S) were compared to controls (C) and streptozotocin-diabetic rats without treatment (D). Intravenous glucose tolerance tests (0.75 g/kg) were performed in all animals and repeated after overtreatment. Insulin binding and insulin-induced D-(U- 14 C)-glucose transport and oxidation were also determined in isolated epididymal adipocytes. Diabetic rats showed a failure in the initial phase of insulin release and glucose intolerance as compared with (C). In overtreated rats glucose tolerance worsened (p