Insulin resistance in alloxan-diabetic dogs: Evidence for reversal following insulin therapy

Abstract

Hepatic glucose production and peripheral glucose utilization were measured basally and during infusion of insulin (25 and 40 mU·kg-1·h-1) in normal dogs and in insulin-deficient diabetic dogs, before and after a 10-14 day period of insulin treatment. Basal hepatic glucose production was significantly raised in the diabetic dogs (21.4±2.5 μmol·kg-1· min-1; p<0.005) compared with normal dogs (11.9±2.5 μmol·kg-1·min-1) and fell by 20% in diabetic dogs following insulin treatment (17.4±3.0 μmol·kg-1·min-1). However, in all groups, hepatic glucose production suppressed equally well during the low dose insulin infusions, suggesting that the raised hepatic glucose production of diabetes is due to ..