title: Importance of the intestine as a site of metformin-stimulated glucose utilization.
abstract: 1. The intestine has been implicated as a site of increased glucose utilization by the antihyperglycaemic drug, metformin. This study makes a quantitative assessment of this effect. 2. Glucose utilization by the intestine and hind limb region was determined by arterial-venous glucose difference adjusted for blood flow rate in fasted rats receiving a hyperglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic infusion. 3. Intrajejunal administration of metformin, 250 mg kg-1, increased glucose disposal during the infusion procedure, associated with increased glucose utilization in the intestine by 69% and in the hind limb region by 40%. 4. Metformin, 250 mg kg-1, increased glucose disappearance during an intravenous glucose tolerance test. This was accompanied by increased uptake of tritiated 2-deoxy-D-glucose into the intestinal mucosa to a greater extent than into skeletal muscles (per unit wet weight of tissue). 5. The results demonstrate that the intestinal mucosa is a quantitatively important site of increased glucose utilization during the blood glucose-lowering effect of metformin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical & Biological Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Mynett
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Page
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000378:metabolism; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D007328:Insulin / Q000494:pharmacology; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D007422:Intestines / Q000098:blood supply; D008297:Male; D008687:Metformin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000187:drug effects; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D008687:Metformin; D003847:Deoxyglucose; D005947:Glucose