Basal insulin hypersecretion in insulin-resistant Zucker diabetic and Zucker fatty rats: Role of enhanced fuel metabolism

The biochemical mechanisms responsible for basal hyperinsulinemia in insulin-resistant states have not been fully defined. We therefore studied pancreatic β-cell function in vitro to characterize the relative importance of fuel metabolism or secretion via a constitutive pathway in the maintenance of high basal insulin secretion in Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) and Zucker fatty (ZF) rats. Insulin secretion from ZF (10 ± 1.8 ν 5 ± 0.6 pmol/ng DNA/h)...