Neither dietary fructose, dextrose nor starch modifies in vitro glycerol release by adipocytes from streptozotocin-diabetic rats.

Because we found previously that fructose feeding could alter lipolytic responses to isoproterenol and insulin in normal rats, we studied the effects of the same diet in neonatal, streptozotocin-diabetic rats. Twenty-seven 5-wk-old diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a diet containing 57% carbohydrate as either fructose, dextrose or starch for 6 wk. At the end of the nutritional period, plasma glucose and insulin concentrations in fed rats were similar in the three diabetic groups. Plasma triacylglycerol concentrations were higher in the fructose-fed group than in the other two groups (P < 0.05). Neither the maximal adipocyte lipolytic response (fructose = 1147 +/- 165%, starch = 1823 +/- 329% and dextrose = 1287 +/- 239% of basal values) nor the sensitivity to isoproterenol (ED50) was changed by the dietary carbohydrate exchange. The maximal antilipolytic action of insulin (starch = 68 +/- 10%, dextrose = 41 +/- 13%, fructose = 95 +/- 29% of stimulated lipolysis values) was comparable in the three diet groups. Thus, 6 wk of fructose feeding in diabetic rats increased plasma triacylglycerol concentrations, but had no detectable effect on plasma glucose or insulin concentrations, isoproterenol-induced lipolysis or the antilipolytic action of insulin.