Antilipolytic action of insulin in abdominal adipocytes of obese subjects before and during energy restriction. Influence of adenosine deaminase.

The influence of prolonged energy restriction (1250 kJ for 4 weeks) on insulin's antilipolytic action was investigated in abdominal adipocytes of obese subjects. An attempt was made to discriminate between dietary influences per se and indirect influences caused by changes in the concentration or action of adenosine. Prolonged energy restriction resulted in about a 3.5-fold increase in basal lipolytic rate which was associated with a corresponding increase in maximal response to insulin. Both these effects could be mimicked by adenosine deaminase (1.6 micrograms/ml) which increased glycerol release of adipocytes from fed donors to levels normally seen during starvation suggesting that the improvement of lipolytic responsiveness to insulin during energy restriction was an apparent one only, due to the fact that glycerol release was increased. To identify dietary influences that selectively affect insulin action the effects of insulin were compared with those of other antilipolytic agents in the presence of adenosine deaminase. Maximally effective concentrations of prostaglandin E2, clonidine and N6-phenylisopropyladenosine almost completely suppressed glycerol release before and during starvation. The extent of inhibition produced by these latter compounds was therefore related to basal activity by the same linear relationship in all experimental settings. By contrast insulin only partially depressed glycerol release and the relationships between basal activity and response to maximal concentrations of insulin were significantly different before and during starvation (P less than or equal to 0.01) in the presence of adenosine deaminase indicating that starvation selectively influences insulin action via mechanisms that are unrelated to the effects of other antilipolytic compounds. It is concluded that the main effect of energy restriction on insulin's antilipolytic action is an apparent one which is secondary increased lipolytic activity. Direct dietary effects on insulin action became apparent upon removal of endogenous adenosine. These tend to limit the maximal response to insulin and may be due to changes at the post-binding level but could also reflect an intrinsic property of insulin's antilipolytic action.