Effect of dexamethasone on hepatic glucose and insulin metabolism after oral glucose in conscious dogs.

To examine whether hyperinsulinemia associated with glucocorticoid treatment results solely from hypersecretion of insulin or also involves altered fractional hepatic extraction, oral glucose (1 g/kg body wt) was administered to dogs with or without dexamethasone treatment (2 mg/d for 2 d). Dexamethasone significantly increased basal glucose and insulin concentrations in the portal vein, hepatic vein, and femoral artery, reduced basal fractional hepatic extraction of insulin from 43 +/- 4% to 22 +/- 4%, and, after oral glucose, increased retention by the liver of net glucose released into the portal system from 27 +/- 4% to 53 +/- 13%. Intraportal insulin infusion (1 and 2 mU/kg per min) after 7 d of dexamethasone treatment (2 mg/d) caused less suppression of endogenous glucose production, and less exogenous glucose was required to maintain an euglycemic clamp than in control animals. Dexamethasone treatment is associated with: decreased basal fractional hepatic insulin extraction contributing to hyperinsulinemia; and less suppression of endogenous glucose production and increase in peripheral uptake in response to insulin, but no reduction in net hepatic glucose uptake after oral glucose.

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