Glucose uptake and binding of digoxin to skeletal muscle

Physical exercise induces increased uptake of both digoxin and glucose in exercising skeletal muscle. Glucose uptake could be a regulatory factor for the digoxin binding to skeletal muscle, since in dogs, insulin and glucose infusion have been reported to increase the uptake of digoxin in muscle. In the present study on eight healthy digitalized subjects (0.5 mg digoxin daily) the uptake of glucose in skeletal muscle was achieved by infusion of 6 mg/kg body weight/min glucose, 0.004 IE/kg body weight/min insulin and 300 micrograms/h somatostatin. Serum and skeletal muscle digoxin levels were analysed before and during the infusion. We found no changes in the digoxin levels in serum and skeletal muscle in spite of an increased uptake of glucose in the muscle. Thus, glucose uptake in skeletal muscle is probably not an important regulatory factor for the change in muscle digoxin binding induced by exercise.