Muscle Glycogen and Glycogen Synthetase in Normal Subjects and in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus Effect of Intravenous Glucose and Insulin Administration

Abstract

Glucose infusion gave no increase of glycogen nor of synthetase I activity in muscle of diabetics at rest, contrary to in normals. After glycogen depletion by exercise, high I activity was seen in both normals and diabetics, and glycogen synthesis was observed during glucose infusion. While glycogen increased, I activity tended to fall. Insulin during infusion apparently affected neither the glycogen synthesis rate nor the I activity in normals, but did increase the I activity and the glycogen synthesis rate in diabetics, most pronouncedly in insulin-dependent patients.

Key Words:

• Diabetes mellitus
• glycogen synthesis
• glycogen synthetase
• insulin
• muscle exercise
• muscle glycogen
• muscle metabolism