Insulin-potentiating action of gliclazide (diamicron)

Normal rats were given a daily dose of gliclazide (8 mg/kg) for a period of 6 days. Twenty-four hours after the treatment period, the treated animals had a significant increase in the initial rate of glucose utilization during intravenous glucose tolerance tests when compared to the controls. Insulin-stimulated 3-0-Methylglucose transport and glucose oxidation were potentiated in adipocytes prepared from gliclazide-treated rats, indicating that improved glycemic control can, at least partly, be attributed to extrapancreatic effects. The drug treatment did not induce any changes in total insulin binding, implicating that the extrapancreatic effects of this hypoglycemic drug are mediated through a post-binding site.