Influence of fasting and refeeding on response of adipose tissue to insulin

¹ Department of Agricultural Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

The glucose uptake, lactic acid production, and net gas exchange has been measured in adipose tissue from fed, fasted, or fasted and refed rats with and without insulin addition in vitro. Unstimulated adipose tissue from fasted and from fasted and refed rats showed a decreased capacity to take up glucose in vitro and a more negative net gas exchange than similar tissue from fed control animals. Insulin added in vitro increased the glucose uptake and CO₂ excess in adipose tissue from fed, fasted, and refed rats, but the response with tissue from refed rats was several times that of the other groups. It is concluded that insulin is required for the marked increase in glucose metabolism associated with the refeeding regimen.