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Agrawal R, Reno CM, Sharma S, Christensen C, Huang Y, Fisher SJ. Insulin action in the brain regulates both central and peripheral functions. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2021; 321:E156-E163. [PMID: 34056920 PMCID: PMC8321819 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00642.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The brain has been traditionally thought to be insensitive to insulin, primarily because insulin does not stimulate glucose uptake/metabolism in the brain (as it does in classic insulin-sensitive tissues such as muscle, liver, and fat). However, over the past 20 years, research in this field has identified unique actions of insulin in the brain. There is accumulating evidence that insulin crosses into the brain and regulates central nervous system functions such as feeding, depression, and cognitive behavior. In addition, insulin acts in the brain to regulate systemic functions such as hepatic glucose production, lipolysis, lipogenesis, reproductive competence, and the sympathoadrenal response to hypoglycemia. Decrements in brain insulin action (or brain insulin resistance) can be observed in obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2DM), aging, and Alzheimer's disease (AD), indicating a possible link between metabolic and cognitive health. Here, we describe recent findings on the pleiotropic actions of insulin in the brain and highlight the precise sites, specific neuronal population, and roles for supportive astrocytic cells through which insulin acts in the brain. In addition, we also discuss how boosting brain insulin action could be a therapeutic option for people at an increased risk of developing metabolic and cognitive diseases such as AD and T2DM. Overall, this perspective article serves to highlight some of these key scientific findings, identify unresolved issues, and indicate future directions of research in this field that would serve to improve the lives of people with metabolic and cognitive dysfunctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahul Agrawal
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Candace M Reno
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Sunny Sharma
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Camille Christensen
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Yiqing Huang
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Simon J Fisher
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
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Lontchi-Yimagou E, Aleksic S, Hulkower R, Gospin R, Goyal A, Kuo B, Mitchell WG, You JY, Upadhyay L, Carey M, Sandu OA, Gabriely I, Shamoon H, Hawkins M. Plasma Epinephrine Contributes to the Development of Experimental Hypoglycemia-Associated Autonomic Failure. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2020; 105:5903847. [PMID: 32915987 PMCID: PMC7678732 DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgaa539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recurrent hypoglycemia blunts counter-regulatory responses to subsequent hypoglycemic episodes, a syndrome known as hypoglycemia-associated autonomic failure (HAAF). Since adrenergic receptor blockade has been reported to prevent HAAF, we investigated whether the hypoglycemia-associated rise in plasma epinephrine contributes to pathophysiology and reported interindividual differences in susceptibility to HAAF. METHODS To assess the role of hypoglycemia-associated epinephrine responses in the susceptibility to HAAF, 24 adult nondiabetic subjects underwent two 2-hour hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemic clamp studies (nadir 54 mg/dL; 0-2 hours and 4-6 hours) on Day 1, followed by a third identical clamp on Day 2. We challenged an additional 7 subjects with two 2-hour infusions of epinephrine (0.03 μg/kg/min; 0-2 hours and 4-6 hours) vs saline on Day 1 followed by a 200-minute stepped hypoglycemic clamp (90, 80, 70, and 60 mg/dL) on Day 2. RESULTS Thirteen out of 24 subjects developed HAAF, defined by ≥20% reduction in average epinephrine levels during the final 30 minutes of the third compared with the first hypoglycemic episode (P < 0.001). Average epinephrine levels during the final 30 minutes of the first hypoglycemic episode were 2.3 times higher in subjects who developed HAAF compared with those who did not (P = 0.006).Compared to saline, epinephrine infusion on Day 1 reduced the epinephrine responses by 27% at the 70 and 60 mg/dL glucose steps combined (P = 0.04), with a parallel reduction in hypoglycemic symptoms (P = 0.03) on Day 2. CONCLUSIONS Increases in plasma epinephrine reproduce key features of HAAF in nondiabetic subjects. Marked interindividual variability in epinephrine responses to hypoglycemia may explain an individual's susceptibility to developing HAAF.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Akankasha Goyal
- New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, New York
| | - Bryan Kuo
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
| | | | - Jee Young You
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
| | | | - Michelle Carey
- Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland
| | - Oana A Sandu
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
| | - Ilan Gabriely
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
| | - Harry Shamoon
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
| | - Meredith Hawkins
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
- Correspondence and Reprint Requests: Dr. Meredith Hawkins, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA. E-mail:
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Agrawal R, Vieira-de-Abreu A, Durupt G, Taylor C, Chan O, Fisher SJ. Insulin regulates GLUT4 in the ventromedial hypothalamus to restore the sympathoadrenal response to hypoglycemia in diabetic rats. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2018; 315:E1286-E1295. [PMID: 30226996 PMCID: PMC6336954 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00324.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
It is proposed that the impaired counterregulatory response (CRR) to hypoglycemia in insulin-deficient diabetes may be due to chronic brain insulin deficiency. To test this hypothesis, streptozotocin-induced diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats were infused with insulin (3 mU/day) or artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) bilaterally into the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) for 2 wk and compared with nondiabetic rats. Rats underwent hyperinsulinemic (50 mU·kg-1·min-1)-hypoglycemic (~45 mg/dl) clamps. Diabetic rats demonstrated an impaired CRR to hypoglycemia, noted by a high glucose infusion rate and blunted epinephrine and glucagon responses. The defective sympathoadrenal response was restored by chronic infusion of insulin into the VMH. Diabetic rats had decreased VMH Akt phosphorylation and decreased VMH glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) content, which was also restored by chronic infusion of insulin into the VMH. Separate experiments in nondiabetic rats in which GLUT4 translocation into the VMH was inhibited with an infusion of indinavir were notable for an impaired CRR to hypoglycemia, indicated by increased glucose infusion rate and diminished epinephrine and glucagon responses. Results suggest that, in this model of diabetes, VMH insulin deficiency impairs the sympathoadrenal response to hypoglycemia and that chronic infusion of insulin into the VMH is sufficient to normalize the sympathoadrenal response to hypoglycemia via restoration of GLUT4 expression in the VMH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahul Agrawal
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, University of Utah School of Medicine , Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Adriana Vieira-de-Abreu
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, University of Utah School of Medicine , Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Griffin Durupt
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, University of Utah School of Medicine , Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Casey Taylor
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, University of Utah School of Medicine , Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Owen Chan
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, University of Utah School of Medicine , Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Simon J Fisher
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, University of Utah School of Medicine , Salt Lake City, Utah
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Davis IC, Ahmadizadeh I, Randell J, Younk L, Davis SN. Understanding the impact of hypoglycemia on the cardiovascular system. Expert Rev Endocrinol Metab 2017; 12:21-33. [PMID: 29109754 PMCID: PMC5669378 DOI: 10.1080/17446651.2017.1275960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Hypoglycemia occurs commonly in insulin requiring individuals with either Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes. AREAS COVERED This article will review recent information on the pro-inflammatory and pro-atherothrombotic effects of hypoglycemia. Additionally, effects of hypoglycemia on arrhythmogenic potential and arterial endothelial dysfunction will be discussed. Effects of hypoglycemia on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality from large clinical studies in Type 1 and Type 2 DM will also be reviewed. EXPERT COMMENTARY The relative and absolute risk of severe hypoglycemia leading to death and serious adverse events in both cardiovascular and other organ systems has been highlighted following the publication of recent large clinical trials focused on glucose control and outcomes. It would be helpful if future studies could develop broader end points to include minor and moderate hypoglycemia as well as more robust methods for capturing hypoglycemia contemporaneously with adverse events. In addition, perhaps consideration of including hypoglycemia as a primary outcome, may help identify the possible cause and effect of hypoglycemia on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Charles Davis
- University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201-1544, United States
| | - Ida Ahmadizadeh
- University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201-1544, United States
| | | | - Lisa Younk
- University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201-1544, United States
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MAP kinases couple hindbrain-derived catecholamine signals to hypothalamic adrenocortical control mechanisms during glycemia-related challenges. J Neurosci 2012; 31:18479-91. [PMID: 22171049 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4785-11.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Physiological responses to hypoglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and hyperglycemia include a critical adrenocortical component that is initiated by hypothalamic control of the anterior pituitary and adrenal cortex. These adrenocortical responses ensure appropriate long-term glucocorticoid-mediated modifications to metabolism. Despite the importance of these mechanisms to disease processes, how hypothalamic afferent pathways engage the intracellular mechanisms that initiate adrenocortical responses to glycemia-related challenges are unknown. This study explores these mechanisms using network- and cellular-level interventions in in vivo and ex vivo rat preparations. Results show that a hindbrain-originating catecholamine afferent system selectively engages a MAP kinase pathway in rat paraventricular hypothalamic CRH (corticotropin-releasing hormone) neuroendocrine neurons shortly after vascular insulin and 2-deoxyglucose challenges. In turn, this MAP kinase pathway can control both neuroendocrine neuronal firing rate and the state of CREB phosphorylation in a reduced ex vivo paraventricular hypothalamic preparation, making this signaling pathway an ideal candidate for coordinating CRH synthesis and release. These results establish the first clear structural and functional relationships linking neurons in known nutrient-sensing regions with intracellular mechanisms in hypothalamic CRH neuroendocrine neurons that initiate the adrenocortical response to various glycemia-related challenges.
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Diggs-Andrews KA, Zhang X, Song Z, Daphna-Iken D, Routh VH, Fisher SJ. Brain insulin action regulates hypothalamic glucose sensing and the counterregulatory response to hypoglycemia. Diabetes 2010; 59:2271-80. [PMID: 20547974 PMCID: PMC2927950 DOI: 10.2337/db10-0401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE An impaired ability to sense and appropriately respond to insulin-induced hypoglycemia is a common and serious complication faced by insulin-treated diabetic patients. This study tests the hypothesis that insulin acts directly in the brain to regulate critical glucose-sensing neurons in the hypothalamus to mediate the counterregulatory response to hypoglycemia. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS To delineate insulin actions in the brain, neuron-specific insulin receptor knockout (NIRKO) mice and littermate controls were subjected to graded hypoglycemic (100, 70, 50, and 30 mg/dl) hyperinsulinemic (20 mU/kg/min) clamps and nonhypoglycemic stressors (e.g., restraint, heat). Subsequently, counterregulatory responses, hypothalamic neuronal activation (with transcriptional marker c-fos), and regional brain glucose uptake (via (14)C-2deoxyglucose autoradiography) were measured. Additionally, electrophysiological activity of individual glucose-inhibited neurons and hypothalamic glucose sensing protein expression (GLUTs, glucokinase) were measured. RESULTS NIRKO mice revealed a glycemia-dependent impairment in the sympathoadrenal response to hypoglycemia and demonstrated markedly reduced (3-fold) hypothalamic c-fos activation in response to hypoglycemia but not other stressors. Glucose-inhibited neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamus of NIRKO mice displayed significantly blunted glucose responsiveness (membrane potential and input resistance responses were blunted 66 and 80%, respectively). Further, hypothalamic expression of the insulin-responsive GLUT 4, but not glucokinase, was reduced by 30% in NIRKO mice while regional brain glucose uptake remained unaltered. CONCLUSIONS Chronically, insulin acts in the brain to regulate the counterregulatory response to hypoglycemia by directly altering glucose sensing in hypothalamic neurons and shifting the glycemic levels necessary to elicit a normal sympathoadrenal response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly A. Diggs-Andrews
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Lipid Research, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Xuezhao Zhang
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Lipid Research, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Zhentao Song
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, New Jersey Medical School (UMDNJ), Newark, New Jersey
| | - Dorit Daphna-Iken
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Lipid Research, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Vanessa H. Routh
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, New Jersey Medical School (UMDNJ), Newark, New Jersey
| | - Simon J. Fisher
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Lipid Research, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri
- Corresponding author: Simon J. Fisher,
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Ishihara KK, Haywood SC, Daphna-Iken D, Puente EC, Fisher SJ. Brain insulin infusion does not augment the counterregulatory response to hypoglycemia or glucoprivation. Metabolism 2009; 58:812-20. [PMID: 19375131 PMCID: PMC2733848 DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2009.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2008] [Accepted: 01/26/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Although high dosages of insulin can cause hypoglycemia, several studies suggest that increased insulin action in the head may paradoxically protect against severe hypoglycemia by augmenting the sympathoadrenal response to hypoglycemia. We hypothesized that a direct infusion of insulin into the third ventricle and/or the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) would amplify the sympathoadrenal response to hypoglycemia. Nine-week-old male rats had insulin (15 mU) or artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF, control) infused bilaterally into the MBH or directly into the third ventricle. During the final 2 hours of the brain insulin or aCSF infusions, the counterregulatory response to either a hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemic (approximately 50 mg/dL) clamp or a 600-mg/kg intravenous bolus of 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) was measured. 2-Deoxyglucose was used to induce a glucoprivic response without peripheral insulin infusion. In response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia, epinephrine rose more than 60-fold, norepinephrine rose more than 4-fold, glucagon rose 8-fold, and corticosterone rose almost 2-fold; but these increments were not different in aCSF vs insulin treatment groups with either intracerebroventricular or bilateral MBH insulin protocols. Intracerebroventricular insulin infusion stimulated insulin signaling as noted by a 5-fold increase in AKT phosphorylation. In the absence of systemic insulin infusion, 2DG-induced glucopenia resulted in an equal counterregulatory response with brain aCSF and insulin infusions. Under the conditions studied, although insulin infusion acted to stimulate hypothalamic insulin signaling, neither intrahypothalamic nor intracerebroventricular insulin infusion augmented the counterregulatory response to hypoglycemia or to 2DG-induced glucoprivation. Therefore, it is proposed that the previously noted acute actions of insulin to augment the sympathoadrenal response to hypoglycemia are likely mediated via mechanisms exterior to the central nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kent K Ishihara
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Lipid Research, Department of Medicine, Washington University, St Louis, MO 63110, USA
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Rossetti P, Porcellati F, Ricci NB, Candeloro P, Cioli P, Bolli GB, Fanelli CG. Different brain responses to hypoglycemia induced by equipotent doses of the long-acting insulin analog detemir and human regular insulin in humans. Diabetes 2008; 57:746-56. [PMID: 18083783 DOI: 10.2337/db07-1433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The acylated long-acting insulin analog detemir is more lipophilic than human insulin and likely crosses the blood-to-brain barrier more easily than does human insulin. The aim of these studies was to assess the brain/hypothalamus responses to euglycemia and hypoglycemia in humans during intravenous infusion of equipotent doses of detemir and human insulin. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Ten normal, nondiabetic subjects (six men, age 36+/-7 years, and BMI 22.9+/-2.6 kg/m(2)) were studied on four occasions at random during intravenous infusion of either detemir or human insulin in euglycemia (plasma glucose 90 mg/dl) or during stepped hypoglycemia (plasma glucose 90, 78, 66, 54, and 42 mg/dl steps). RESULTS Plasma counterregulatory hormone response to hypoglycemia did not differ between detemir and human insulin. The glycemic thresholds for adrenergic symptoms were higher with detemir (51 +/- 7.7 mg/dl) versus human insulin (56 +/- 7.8 mg/dl) (P = 0.029). However, maximal responses were greater with detemir versus human insulin for adrenergic (3 +/- 2.5 vs. 2.4 +/- 1.8) and neuroglycopenic (4 +/- 3.9 vs. 2.7+/-2.5) symptoms (score, P < 0.05). Glycemic thresholds for onset of cognitive dysfunction were lower with detemir versus human insulin (51 +/- 8.1 vs. 47 +/- 3.6 mg/dl, P = 0.031), and cognitive function was more deteriorated with detemir versus human insulin (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Compared with human insulin, responses to hypoglycemia with detemir resulted in higher glycemic thresholds for adrenergic symptoms and greater maximal responses for adrenergic and neuroglycopenic symptoms, with an earlier and greater impairment of cognitive function. Additional studies are needed to establish the effects of detemir on responses to hypoglycemia in subjects with diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Rossetti
- Department of Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, University of Perugia, Via E. Dal Pozzo, 06126 Perugia, Italy
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Abstract
Insulin has a potent inhibitory effect on hepatic glucose production by direct action at hepatic receptors. The hormone also inhibits glucose production by suppressing both lipolysis in the fat cell and secretion of glucagon by the alpha-cell. Neural sensing of insulin levels appears to participate in control of hepatic glucose production in rodents, but a role for brain insulin sensing has not been documented in dogs or humans. The primary effect of insulin on the liver is its direct action.
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McCrimmon RJ, Shaw M, Fan X, Cheng H, Ding Y, Vella MC, Zhou L, McNay EC, Sherwin RS. Key role for AMP-activated protein kinase in the ventromedial hypothalamus in regulating counterregulatory hormone responses to acute hypoglycemia. Diabetes 2008; 57:444-50. [PMID: 17977955 DOI: 10.2337/db07-0837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine in vivo in a rodent model the potential role of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) within the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) in glucose sensing during hypoglycemia. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Using gene silencing technology to selectively downregulate AMPK in the VMH, a key hypothalamic glucose-sensing region, we demonstrate a key role for AMPK in the detection of hypoglycemia. In vivo hyperinsulinemic-hypoglycemic (50 mg dl(-1)) clamp studies were performed in awake, chronically catheterized Sprague-Dawley rats that had been microinjected bilaterally to the VMH with an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector expressing a short hairpin RNA for AMPKalpha. RESULTS In comparison with control studies, VMH AMPK downregulation resulted in suppressed glucagon ( approximately 60%) and epinephrine (approximately 40%) responses to acute hypoglycemia. Rats with VMH AMPK downregulation also required more exogenous glucose to maintain the hypoglycemia plateau and showed significant reductions in endogenous glucose production and whole-body glucose uptake. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that AMPK in the VMH plays a key role in the detection of acute hypoglycemia and initiation of the glucose counterregulatory response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rory J McCrimmon
- FRCP, Yale University School of Medicine, P.O. Box 208020, New Haven, CT 06520-8020, USA.
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Lubow JM, Piñón IG, Avogaro A, Cobelli C, Treeson DM, Mandeville KA, Toffolo G, Boyle PJ. Brain oxygen utilization is unchanged by hypoglycemia in normal humans: lactate, alanine, and leucine uptake are not sufficient to offset energy deficit. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2006; 290:E149-E153. [PMID: 16144821 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00049.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
During hypoglycemia, substrates other than glucose have been suggested to serve as alternate neural fuels. We evaluated brain uptake of endogenously produced lactate, alanine, and leucine at euglycemia and during insulin-induced hypoglycemia in 17 normal subjects. Cross-brain arteriovenous differences for plasma glucose, lactate, alanine, leucine, and oxygen content were quantitated. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured by Fick methodology using N(2)O as the dilution indicator gas. Substrate uptake was measured as the product of CBF and the arteriovenous concentration difference. As arterial glucose concentration fell, cerebral oxygen utilization and CBF remained unchanged. Brain glucose uptake (BGU) decreased from 36.3+/-2.6 to 26.6+/-2.1 micromol.100 g of brain(-1).min(-1) (P<0.001), equivalent to a drop in ATP of 291 micromol.100 g(-1).min(-1). Arterial lactate rose (P<0.001), whereas arterial alanine and leucine fell (P<0.009 and P<0.001, respectively). Brain lactate uptake (BLU) increased from a net release of -1.8+/- 0.6 to a net uptake of 2.5+/-1.2 micromol.100 g(-1).min(-1) (P<0.001), equivalent to an increase in ATP of 74 micromol.100 g(-1).min(-1). Brain leucine uptake decreased from 7.1+/-1.2 to 2.5 +/- 0.5 micromol.100 g(-1).min(-1) (P<0.001), and brain alanine uptake trended downward (P<0.08). We conclude that the ATP generated from the physiological increase in BLU during hypoglycemia accounts for no more than 25% of the brain glucose energy deficit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey M Lubow
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM 87131-0001, USA
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Fisher SJ, Brüning JC, Lannon S, Kahn CR. Insulin signaling in the central nervous system is critical for the normal sympathoadrenal response to hypoglycemia. Diabetes 2005; 54:1447-51. [PMID: 15855332 DOI: 10.2337/diabetes.54.5.1447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Hypoglycemia, hypoglycemia unawareness, and impaired counterregulation are major challenges to the intensive management of type 1 diabetes. While the counterregulatory response to hypoglycemia is predominantly determined by the degree and duration of hypoglycemia, there is now evidence that insulin per se may influence the counterregulatory response to hypoglycemia. To define the role of insulin action in the central nervous system in regulating the counterregulatory response to hypoglycemia, mice with a brain/neuron-specific insulin receptor knockout (NIRKO) and littermate controls were subjected to 90-min hyperinsulinemic (20 mU x kg(-1) x min(-1)) -hypoglycemic (approximately 1.5 mmol/l) clamps. In response to hypoglycemia, epinephrine levels rose 5.7-fold in controls but only 3.5-fold in NIRKO mice. Similarly, in response to hypoglycemia, norepinephrine levels rose threefold in controls, but this response was almost completely absent in NIRKO mice. In contrast, glucagon and corticosterone responses to hypoglycemia were similar in both groups. Thus, insulin action in the brain is critical for full activation of the sympathoadrenal response to hypoglycemia, and altered neural insulin signaling could contribute to defective glucose counterregulation in diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon J Fisher
- Reserach Division, Joslin Diabetes Center, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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Desouza C, Salazar H, Cheong B, Murgo J, Fonseca V. Association of hypoglycemia and cardiac ischemia: a study based on continuous monitoring. Diabetes Care 2003; 26:1485-9. [PMID: 12716809 DOI: 10.2337/diacare.26.5.1485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 261] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In some studies intensive diabetes treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes may be associated with increased cardiovascular events. It is not clear whether these events are related to hypoglycemic episodes. To determine whether episodes of hypoglycemia were more likely to be associated with cardiac ischemia than normoglycemia or hyperglycemia, we carried out a study in 21 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and type 2 diabetes treated with insulin who had good glycemic control. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We carried out 72-h continuous glucose monitoring along with simultaneous cardiac Holter monitoring for ischemia. Patients also recorded symptoms of cardiac ischemia (chest pain) and symptoms of hypoglycemia. RESULTS Satisfactory continuous glucose monitoring system recordings were obtained in 19 patients. We recorded 54 episodes of hypoglycemia (blood glucose <70 mg/dl; 26 of these were symptomatic) and 59 episodes of hyperglycemia (blood glucose >200 mg/dl; none symptomatic). Of the 54 episodes of hypoglycemia, 10 were associated with symptoms of chest pain, during 4 of which electrocardiographic abnormalities were documented. In contrast, only 1 episode of chest pain occurred during 59 episodes of hyperglycemia. No chest pain or electrocardiographic abnormalities occurred when the blood glucose was within the normal range. The difference between the frequency of ischemia during hypoglycemia and the frequency during both hyperglycemia and normoglycemia was statistically significant (P < 0.01). There were 50 episodes during which the blood glucose changed by >100 mg over a 60-min period, and ischemic symptoms occurred during 9 of these episodes (P < 0.01 compared with stable normoglycemia or hyperglycemia). CONCLUSIONS Hypoglycemia is more likely to be associated with cardiac ischemia and symptoms than normoglycemia and hyperglycemia, and it is particularly common in patients who experience considerable swings in blood glucose. These data may be important in the institution of insulin treatment and attempting near-normal glycemia in patients with known CAD. Further research is needed to determine strategies to prevent ischemia associated with hypoglycemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyrus Desouza
- Department of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
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Monsod TP, Flanagan DE, Rife F, Saenz R, Caprio S, Sherwin RS, Tamborlane WV. Do sensor glucose levels accurately predict plasma glucose concentrations during hypoglycemia and hyperinsulinemia? Diabetes Care 2002; 25:889-93. [PMID: 11978686 DOI: 10.2337/diacare.25.5.889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The MiniMed Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (CGMS) measures subcutaneous interstitial glucose levels that are calibrated against three or more fingerstick glucose levels daily. The objective of the present study was to examine whether the relationship between plasma and interstitial fluid glucose is altered by changes in plasma glucose and insulin levels and how such alterations might influence CGMS performance. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Arterialized plasma glucose, sensor glucose, and interstitial fluid glucose were measured by microdialysis in 11 healthy subjects during a 1.0 mU. kg(-1). min(-1) stepped euglycemic-hypoglycemic-hyperglycemic (plasma glucose approximately 5, 3.1, and 8.6 mmol/l, respectively) insulin clamp that raised plasma insulin to approximately 360-390 pmol/l. RESULTS When the CGMS was calibrated versus plasma glucose levels before insulin infusion, basal sensor and plasma glucose were similar (5.0 +/- 0.3 vs. 5.2 +/- 0.3 mmol/l, respectively); dialysate glucose was 3.3 +/- 0.9 mmol/l. During the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemia study (plasma glucose 4.9 +/- 0.3 mmol/l), dialysate glucose fell by 30-35%, accompanied by a significant reduction in sensor glucose (to 3.7 +/- 0.6 mmol/l; P < 0.001 vs. plasma). Subsequently, sensor levels remained lower than plasma values during mild hypoglycemia (2.5 +/- 0.6 vs. 3.1 +/- 0.3 mmol/l; P < 0.01) and during recovery from hypoglycemia (7.3 +/- 1.2 vs. 8.6 +/- 0.6; P < 0.01). However, when the CGMS was calibrated against plasma glucose levels before and during each step of the clamp, sensor glucose levels increased throughout the study and did not differ from plasma glucose values during hypoglycemia. CONCLUSIONS Although hyperinsulinemia may contribute to modest discrepancies between plasma and sensor glucose levels, the CGMS is able to accurately track acute changes in plasma glucose when calibrated across a range of plasma glucose and insulin levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa P Monsod
- Department of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA.
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Cardin S, Jackson PA, Edgerton DS, Neal DW, Coffey CS, Cherrington AD. Effect of vagal cooling on the counterregulatory response to hypoglycemia induced by a low dose of insulin in the conscious dog. Diabetes 2001; 50:558-64. [PMID: 11246875 DOI: 10.2337/diabetes.50.3.558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
We previously demonstrated, using a nerve-cooling technique, that the vagus nerves are not essential for the counterregulatory response to hypoglycemia caused by high levels of insulin. Because high insulin levels per se augment the central nervous system response to hypoglycemia, the question arises whether afferent nerve fibers traveling along the vagus nerves would play a role in the defense of hypoglycemia in the presence of a more moderate insulin level. To address this issue, we studied two groups of conscious 18-h-fasted dogs with cooling coils previously placed on both vagus nerves. Each study consisted of a 100-min equilibration period, a 40-min basal period, and a 150-min hypoglycemic period. Glucose was lowered using a glycogen phosphorylase inhibitor and a low dose of insulin infused into the portal vein (0.7 mU.kg(-1) min(-1)). The arterial plasma insulin level increased to 15 +/- 2 microU/ml and the plasma glucose level fell to a plateau of 57 +/- 3 mg/dl in both groups. The vagal cooling coils were perfused with a 37 degrees C (SHAM COOL; n = 7) or a -20 degrees C (COOL; n = 7) ethanol solution for the last 90 min of the study to block parasympathetic afferent fibers. Vagal cooling caused a marked increase in the heart rate and blocked the hypoglycemia-induced increase in the arterial pancreatic polypeptide level. The average increments in glucagon (pg/ml), epinephrine (pg/ml), norepinephrine (pg/ml), cortisol (microg/dl), glucose production (mg.kg(-1). min(-1)), and glycerol (micromol/l) in the SHAM COOL group were 53 +/- 9, 625 +/- 186, 131 +/- 48, 4.63 +/- 1.05, -0.79 +/- 0.24, and 101 +/- 18, respectively, and in the COOL group, the increments were 39 +/- 7, 837 +/- 235, 93 +/- 39, 6.28 +/- 1.03 (P < 0.05), -0.80 +/- 0.20, and 73 +/- 29, respectively. Based on these data, we conclude that, even in the absence of high insulin concentrations, afferent signaling via the vagus nerves is not required for a normal counterregulatory response to hypoglycemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Cardin
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0615, USA
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Hevener AL, Bergman RN, Donovan CM. Hypoglycemic detection does not occur in the hepatic artery or liver: findings consistent with a portal vein glucosensor locus. Diabetes 2001; 50:399-403. [PMID: 11272153 DOI: 10.2337/diabetes.50.2.399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Our laboratory has previously demonstrated that hypoglycemic detection occurs in the portal vein, not the liver. To ascertain whether hypoglycemic detection may also occur in the hepatic artery, normoglycemia was established across the liver via a localized hepatic artery glucose infusion. Male mongrel dogs (n = 7) were infused with insulin (5.0 mU x kg(-1) x min(-1)) via the jugular vein to induce systemic hypoglycemia. Animals participated in two hyperinsulinemic-hypoglycemic clamp experiments distinguished by the site of glucose infusion. During the liver irrigation protocol, glucose was infused via the hepatic artery (HA protocol) to maintain liver normoglycemia as systemic glucose concentrations were systematically lowered over 260 min (nadir = 2.2 +/- 0.01 mmol/l). During control experiments, glucose was infused peripherally (PER protocol) to control reductions in blood glucose. Arterial glucose concentrations were not significantly different at any time between the two protocols (P = 0.73). Hepatic artery and liver glucose concentrations were significantly elevated in the HA versus PER protocol throughout the duration of the progressive hyperinsulinemic-hypoglycemic clamp. During the PER protocol, epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations increased significantly above basal values (0.53 +/- 0.06 and 0.85 +/- 0.2 nmol/l, respectively) to plateaus of 4.4 +/- 0.86 (P = 0.0001) and 3.6 +/- 0.69 nmol/l (P = 0.001), respectively. There were no significant differences between the two protocols in the epinephrine (P = 0.81) and the norepinephrine (P = 0.68) response to hypoglycemia. The current findings indicate that glucosensors important to hypoglycemic detection do not reside in the hepatic artery. Furthermore, these data confirm our previous findings that glucosensors important to hypoglycemic detection are not present in the liver, but are in fact localized to the portal vein.
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Affiliation(s)
- A L Hevener
- Department of Exercise Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90089-0652, USA
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