THE EFFECT OF INHIBITING FATTY-ACID OXIDATION ON BASAL GLUCOSE-METABOLISM IN PSAMMOMYS-OBESUS

We administered etomoxir (an inhibitor of fatty acid oxidation) for fi ve days at a dose of 50 mg/kg/day to three groups of Psammomys obesus, Group A were normoglycemic and normoinsulinemic, group B were normogl ycemic and hyperinsulinemic, and group C were hyperglycemic and hyperi nsulinemic, When compared with group A, the hyperglycemic/hyperinsulin emic rats of group C had elevated hepatic glucose production (HPG) and elevated glucose uptake (Rg) in all tissues measured reaching statist ical significance in white gastrocnemius, soleus and diaphragm, Five d ays of etomoxir treatment reduced the plasma glucose levels of group C . Etomoxir treatment reduced HGP and although the change was not signi ficant, it was supported by significant reductions of Rg in several ti ssues including diaphragm, heart, small intestine, brain and white adi pose tissue. Five days of etomoxir treatment also reduced the plasma i nsulin levels in group B and group C, when compared to the levels befo re treatment, These results demonstrate that inhibition of fatty acid oxidation significantly reduced hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia and Rg in some tissues in group C animals suggesting that elevated levels of fatty acid oxidation and increased glucose turnover may be associated with development of NIDDM in Psammomys obesus.