Postreceptor myocardial metabolic defect in a rat model of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

Hearts isolated from non-insulin-dependent diabetic rats were found to exhibit reduced rates of basal and insulin-stimulated glucose metabolism. Since tissue levels of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate are significantly reduced in the diabetic heart, it was concluded that phosphofructokinase may be inhibited. However, neither glycogen nor glucose 6-phosphate accumulated in the myocyte, indicating that the phosphofructokinase reaction was not a bottleneck diverting substrate away from glycolysis. The other major factor contributing to decreased glycolytic flux in the diabetic heart is the impairment in glucose transport. Both basal and insulin-stimulated transport of 3-O-methyl-D-glucose was 30% less in the diabetic heart. While insulin sensitivity was unaltered in the diabetic rat, insulin responsiveness was decreased, indicating that the impairment in insulin-stimulated hexose transport was caused by a post-receptor defect. The net result of these abnormalities in glucose metabolism is a significant reduction in the rate of ATP synthesis by the diabetic heart.