Chiroinositol deficiency and insulin resistance. II. Acute effects of D-chiroinositol administration in streptozotocin-diabetic rats, normal rats given a glucose load, and spontaneously insulin-resistant rhesus monkeys.

The acute effects of administration of D-chiroinositol (D-CI), a component of a putative mediator of insulin action, on plasma glucose were examined in low dose streptozotocin-treated rats and normal rats given a glucose load and the effects on plasma glucose and insulin were determined in five obese rhesus monkeys with varying degrees of spontaneous insulin resistance. Single dose intragastric D-CI (10 mg/kg) administered to streptozotocin-treated rats produced a 30-40% decrease in plasma glucose (P < 0.05) at 30-120 min. Single dose intragastric D-CI (2-15 mg/kg) administered to normal rats 2 h before ip glucose produced a 30-50% decrease (P < 0.05) in plasma glucose. D-CI (10 mg/kg) caused a 50% increase (P < 0.05) in glucose disappearance rates in these rats. Myoinositol (10 mg/kg) was without effect. Intravenously administered single dose D-CI (100 mg/kg) increased both the glucose and insulin disappearance rates by 129 +/- 41% (mean +/- SE; P < 0.06) and 89 +/- 39% (P = 0.01), respectively, in all monkeys between 0-30 min compared to control values. D-CI administration, therefore, lowered elevated plasma glucose in streptozotocin-treated hyperglycemic rats, normal rats given a glucose load, and spontaneously insulin-resistant monkeys with or without noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Intravenous D-CI also lowered plasma insulin in these monkeys.