Glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity in rat muscle: changes during 3-96 weeks of age

It has been demonstrated that aging diminishes the rate of glucose utilization by rat skeletal muscle. To determine the basis for this occurrence as well as its temporal sequence, glucose utilization was examined in isolated hindquarters of 3-, 5-, 8-, 16-, 24-, 48-, and 96-wk-old male Sprague-Dawley rats. Glucose utilization diminished progressively during early development (3-5 wk) and adolescence (5-16 wk) in hindquarters perfused in the absence of added insulin. At the same time there was a progressive shift of the insulin dose-response curve to the right, indicating diminished insulin sensitivity and a marked decrease in maximum insulin responsiveness. In contrast, between 24 and 96 wk of age, insulin sensitivity and the rate of glucose utilization in the absence of added insulin did not decrease, and there was only a small decrease in maximum responsiveness. The rate-limiting step in glucose utilization under all conditions was glucose transport. Even at high insulin concentrations, free glucose was not detected in the muscle cells of young or old rats, the uptake of 2-deoxyglucose diminished in parallel with that of glucose, and there was no evidence of a defect in glucose metabolism. These findings indicate that in the Sprague-Dawley rat glucose transport into skeletal muscle and in particular its sensitivity and responsiveness to insulin diminish progressively during early development and adolescence. No further marked changes occurred up to at least 96 wk of age. To what extent these early age-associated changes are due to insulin binding and to what extent to alterations in the glucose transport system per se remains to be determined.