Insulin removal in man: in vivo evidence for a receptor-mediated process.

To evaluate the in vivo participation of insulin receptors in both hepatic and extrahepatic removal of insulin, compartmental kinetic analysis of insulin behavior was performed in a patient with blocked receptors due to endogenous antiinsulin receptor antibodies. Using the standard three-compartment simulation of insulin behavior, the responses to both a 5-U injection of exogenous insulin and a 4.2-U secretion of endogenous insulin subsequent to tolbutamide injection were examined. In response to both exogenous and endogenous insulin, hepatic removal of insulin was reduced to less than 18% of the insulin exposure (normal, 40-60%). The metabolic clearance of insulin was reduced from the normal level of 520 ml/min to less than 120 ml/min, consistent with a reduction in receptor-mediated removal of insulin from the blood. These studies propose quantitative parameters for insulin receptor function in hepatic and extrahepatic removal of insulin in man.