[Multi-compartmental modelling and experimental design for glucose transport studies in insulin-resistant rats]

Many pathologies are associated with abnormalities of glucose metabolism or with perturbations of its transport (type 2 diabetes or insulin-resistance). The pre-diabetic state is characterised by a state of insulin-resistance, in others words a defect of glucose transport in insulin-sensible tissues, such as muscles and adipose tissues. The mathematical modelling of experimental data can be an excellent method to explore the mechanisms implied in the studied biological phenomenon. Thus, starting from a symbolic formulation like the compartmental modelling, it can be possible to develop a theoretical basis for the observation and to consider the best-adapted experiments for the study. We showed with mathematical models that [123I]-6-deoxy-6-iodo-D-glucose (6-DIG), shown as a tracer of glucose transport in vitro, could point out this transport abnormality. To quantify the insulin resistance, we estimated the fractional transfer coefficients of 6-DIG from the blood to the organs. We realised many studies to lead to a satisfying model; special attention has been paid to the precision of the parameter to select the best model. The results showed that by associating experimental data obtained with 6-DIG activities and an adapted mathematical model, discriminating parameters (in and out fractional transfer coefficients) between the two groups (control and insulin-resistant rats) could be pointed out.