The effect of glucose on acetylation status

Forty-nine healthy volunteers (47 male, 2 female) had their sulphadimidine acetylator status determined on a control day and on a second occasion when they were given an oral glucose load. They were classified as fast and slow acetylators using the standard urine method and as fast, slow and intermediate acetylators using calculated metabolic and total body clearances. Twenty-seven (55%) were slow acetylators and this proportion was not altered by glucose loading either with or before sulphadimidine ingestion. On the control day, five (10%) were fast and 17 (35%) were intermediate acetylators but these sub-groups were not clearly distinguishable from each other when glucose was given. The glucose load did not cause any individual to change from slow to fast categories. Two type 2 (insulin independent) diabetics also showed no difference in acetylator status when studied with widely different blood glucose concentrations. We conclude that glucose can induce minor increases in sulphadimidine clearance but is unlikely to alter phenotypic acetylation status. Previous observations of an increased incidence of fast acetylators in diabetics may therefore indicate a genetic marker.