[Ø[The effect of physical exercise on glycemia on healthy subjects following administration of glimepiride]].

Sulfonylureas predispose to hypoglycaemia during and after exercise. The hypoglycaemic effect of the novel sulfonylurea glimepiride (G; CAS 93479-97-1) in male healthy volunteers under these conditions. Each subject was exposed to three experimental situations, administration of 3 mg G and rest, administration of 3 mg G and 60 min of bicycle ergometry (E) (work load adjusted to a heart rate of 120 bpm), or placebo (P) and bicycle ergometry as mentioned. Each of these was preceded and followed by 60 min of physical rest. Base line glycaemia was comparable (PE 83 +/- 8 mg/dl, GR 84 +/- 5 mg/dl, GE 86 +/- 7 mg/dl) and fell during GR to 63 +/- 6 mg/dl after 150 min. During GE glycaemia ceased to decline after 30 min exercise, and rose thereafter reaching values comparable to PE after 150 min (80 +/- 8 vs. 82 +/- 7 mg/dl). Serum insulin concentrations rose during exercise following administration of G to 6-7 microU/ml (AUC during the period 60-120 min after administration: GE 371 +/- 81 microU/ml.60 min, GR 414 +/- 77 microU/ml.60 min), and fell during PE to 4 microU/ml (265 +/- 49 microU/ml.60; p < 0.001 vs. GE and GR). During GE serum insulin concentrations fell to 6 microU/ml at the end of exercise and thereafter (AUC during the period 120-180 min after administration: 340 +/- 82 microU/ml.60 min), whereas they remained at 7 microU/ml during GR (399 +/- 109 microU/ml.60 min; p = 0.087 vs. GE). In conclusion, exercise blunts the hypoglycaemic effect of glimepiride in healthy individuals.