title: Sex-specific action of insulin to acutely increase the metabolic clearance rate of dehydroepiandrosterone in humans.
abstract: To test the hypothesis that insulin acutely enhances the metabolic clearance rate (MCR) of dehydroepiandrosterone in humans, the effect of a short-term insulin infusion on the MCR of dehydroepiandrosterone was assessed in 10 men and 7 women. After an overnight fast, dehydroepiandrosterone was infused at 3.47 mumol/h for 6.5 h. At 240 min, a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp was begun by infusing insulin at 21.5 pmol/kg per min for 2.5 h. MCR of dehydroepiandrosterone was calculated at baseline (210-240 min) and during the insulin infusion (360-390 min). A control study was conducted at least 1 wk later, in which 0.45% saline was substituted for the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. During the insulin clamp study, serum insulin rose from 34 +/- 2 to 1084 +/- 136 pmol/liter (P = 0.0001) in men and from 40 +/- 5 to 1357 +/- 175 pmol/liter (P = 0.0003) in women, while serum glucose remained constant in both groups. MCR of dehydroepiandrosterone rose in men during the insulin infusion from 2443 +/- 409 to 3599 +/- 500 liters/24 h (P = 0.003), but did not change during the control saline infusion. In contrast, MCR of dehydroepiandrosterone in women did not change in the insulin clamp study during insulin infusion (2526 +/- 495 liters/24 h at baseline vs. 2442 +/- 491 liters/24 h during insulin infusion; P = 0.78). These findings suggest that insulin acutely increases the MCR of dehydroepiandrosterone in men but not in women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23298.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Nestler
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kahwash
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D007328:Insulin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D012727:Sex Characteristics
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone