Stimulation by 3-mercaptopicolinate of net glucose uptake by perfused livers from diabetic rats

Glucose uptake/production was studied as a function of varied glucose loads in isolated perfused livers from glucagon-treated alloxan-diabetic rats. Uptake of D-[U-14C]glucose was seen at all levels studied - 9.5-71 mM. In studies with unlabelled D-glucose carried out in the absence of 3-mercaptopicolinate, livers of diabetic rats showed a net production of glucose with perfusate glucose levels less than 22 mM. Above this level, these livers exhibited a time- and concentration-dependent net uptake of glucose for a period of 20-30 min. When 4 mM 3-mercaptopicolinate, which inhibited gluconeogenesis from endogenous substrates, was included in perfusates, a continuous net uptake of unlabelled glucose was observed at all levels above 4 mM. This lowering of the null-point, cross-over glucose concentration was shown to relate mechanistically to the observed reduction in steady-state hepatic glucose 6-phosphate level produced by mercaptopicolinate. The need for supplemental mechanisms of glucose utilization by high Km hepatic enzyme(s) operative in the virtual absence of insulin-dependent glucokinase also is indicated by these observations and by kinetic analysis.