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Regular high-frequency oscillations of insulin secretion are characteristic of normal beta-cell function. These oscillations are easily entrainable to an exogenous rhythm by small changes in glucose concentration in vitro. We tested whether high-frequency insulin oscillations in vivo would also be entrainable by glucose and whether a lack of entrainment would characterize the diabetic beta-cell. We tested 13 control subjects and 11 patients with type 2 diabetes. Subjects underwent serial blood sampling at 1-min intervals for 60-120 min in the basal state or with small (15 mg/kg) boluses of glucose injected intravenously at exact 29-min intervals. Time series analysis was carried out using spectral analysis. Oscillations of basal plasma glucose concentrations were observed in both control and type 2 diabetic subjects, with a mean period of 11.3 +/- 3.1 and 11.6 +/- 2.0 min, respectively. These oscillations were entrained to mean periods of 15.0 +/- 0.6 and 14.2 +/- 0.9 min, respectively, by exogenous glucose. Regular high-frequency insulin oscillations were observed in control subjects; the mean period of basal plasma insulin oscillations was 10.7 +/- 1.2 min and was entrained to exogenously injected glucose, with a period of 15.2 +/- 0.1 min. In contrast, in the type 2 diabetic subjects, spontaneous insulin oscillations were unchanged by the glucose rhythm; the mean periods were 10.0 +/- 1.0 min during the basal period, and 10.1 +/- 0.0 min during glucose injections. These results demonstrate that spontaneous high-frequency insulin oscillations can be successfully entrained by glucose in control subjects. However, these oscillations in type 2 diabetic subjects are not similarly entrained. We conclude that loss of entrainment of spontaneous high-frequency insulin oscillations in type 2 diabetes is a highly sensitive manifestation of beta-cell secretory dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) is a key enzyme in the conversion of stearate to oleate (C18:0 to C18:1), and palmitate to palmitoleate (C16:0 to C16:1). There are two mouse SCD genes (SCD1 and SCD2). While SCD 1 is the isoform of SCD highly expressed in the liver and adipose tissue, and its expression is induced during adipocyte differentiation with dexamethasone and insulin, SCD2 is constitutively expressed in preadipocytes. The objective of the study is to evaluate the effect of SCD inhibition on fatty acid composition and turnover in NIH3T3 preadipocytes. NIH3T3 preadipocytes were grown in culture for 72 hours with [U-[sup 13]C] stearate and [1, 2 [sup 13]C]-acetate with 1) DMSO or 2) 0.8 µM of SCD inhibitor 06811M1005 (generously provided by CompleGen, Inc.). Analysis of fatty acid mass isotopomers was performed by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GCMS). Fatty acid composition and the desaturation indices were calculated from the gas chromatogram. In cells cultured with SCD inhibitor 06811M1005 in [U-[sup 13]C]-stearate and [1,2 [sup 13]C]-acetate, the desaturation index for C18:1 n-9 was significantly reduced by ∼30% (p<0.03). There was a reduction in the conversion of U-stearate to U-oleate from 64% to 38% (p<0.04) when SCD was inhibited. While 13C isotopomer enrichment of palmitate and stearate reached the same plateau levels in treated and untreated cells, 13C isotopomer enrichment of oleate in the treated cells was significantly lower than control suggesting reduced oleate turnover during the study period. We conclude: NIH3T3 preadipocytes differentiate either in the presence of dexamethasone and insulin or PPAR υ agonist into adipocytes with phenotypes having different expression of SCD1. SCD inhibitor 06811M 1005 probably acts equally on SCD1 and SCD2 in the preadipocytes resulting in a change in desaturation index. Contrary to the expectation of reduced de novo lipogenesis, SCD inhibition primarily reduced on the conversion of stearate to oleate and the turnover of oleate without affecting the uptake and de novo synthesis of palmitate or stearate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]