Reversal of the exercise-induced increase in muscle permeability to glucose

Exercise is associated with an increase in permeability of muscle to glucose that reverses slowly (h) in fasting rats during recovery. Previous studies showed that carbohydrate feeding speeds and carbohydrate restriction slows reversal of the exercise-induced increase in glucose uptake. This study was designed to evaluate the roles of glucose transport, glycogen synthesis, and protein synthesis in the reversal process in rat epitrochlearis muscle. In contrast to recovery in vivo, when muscles were incubated without insulin in vitro, the exercise-induced increase in muscle permeability to sugar reversed rapidly regardless of whether glucose transport or glycogen synthesis occurred. Inhibition of protein synthesis did not prevent the reversal. Addition of 33% rat serum or a low concentration of insulin to the incubation medium markedly slowed reversal in vitro. We conclude that 1) prolonged persistence of the increased permeability of mammalian muscle to glucose after exercise requires a low concentration of insulin, and 2) reversal of the increase in permeability does not require glucose transport, glycogen synthesis, or protein synthesis.