The effects of insulin on glucose uptake and lactate release in perfused working rat heart preparations

The effects of insulin on glucose uptake and lactate release in the perfused working rat heart have been investigated in three types of preparation: (i) a control low-workload preparation; (ii) an increased-pressure-workload preparation, simulating conditions of aortic pressure encountered in vivo; (iii) an increased-volume-workload preparation, where pumping work done is approximately the same as (ii) but coronary flow is restricted because of the decreased aortic pressure. Insulin stimulated glucose uptake and lactate release in preparations (i) and (ii), but failed to do so in preparation (iii). It was considered possible that preparation (iii) was hypoxic, thus necessitating a maximal stimulation of glucose uptake. This was confirmed by improving cardiac oxygenation by addition of stroma-free haemoglobin to the perfusate in preparation (iii). Under these conditions in the absence of insulin, glucose uptake and lactate release were decreased compared with perfusions in the absence of haemoglobin. Insulin stimulation of both processes was restored. We conclude that the failure of other workers to observe insulin effects on glucose uptake and lactate release under physiological workloads [preparation (ii)] may be a consequence of intracellular hypoxia in their preparations.