Insulin binding on erythrocytes in unsatisfactorily controlled obese diabetics (type 2) and nonobese diabetics (type 1)

Insulin binding to receptors on erythrocytes was studied in 2 groups of poorly controlled diabetics, i.e. a) 9 noninsulin dependent obese diabetics, b) 8 insulin-dependent nonobese diabetics, and in a group of 10 nondiabetic control subjects. The mean binding value in obese diabetics-type 2 was significantly lower than in controls (4.5 +/- 0.4% vers. 7.3 +/- 0.4%), the difference between the control mean value and the mean value in diabetics-type 1 (6.3 +/- 0.8%) was not statistically significant. Compared with the controls, lower numbers of insulin receptors per cell were found in both groups of diabetics (162 +/- 9 vers. 60 +/- 13 and 88 +/- 13, resp.). The lower number of receptors in diabetics-type 1 seems to be counterbalanced, at least partly, by their higher affinity.