H. Candiloros et al., HYPERINSULINEMIA IS RELATED TO ERYTHROCYTE PHOSPHOLIPID-COMPOSITION AND MEMBRANE FLUIDITY CHANGES IN OBESE NONDIABETIC WOMEN, The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 81(8), 1996, pp. 2912-2918
It has been suggested that changes in the properties of cell membranes
are involved in an altered insulin action. However, the influence of
changes in the distribution of phospholipid classes has not been explo
red. We investigated 69 obese nondiabetic normoglycemic women (17 pati
ents with impaired glucose tolerance) with varying degrees of insulin
sensitivity to determine the phospholipid composition and fluid state
of their erythrocyte plasma membranes. The fasting plasma insulin, the
homeostasis model analysis of insulin resistance (HOMA), and the inte
grated area under the insulin curve (AUC-I) alter an oral glucose chal
lenge were used as markers of insulin resistance. Results were divided
into normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and impaired glucose tolerance. T
here was a positive correlation in NGT group between the membrane sphi
ngomyelin (SM) content and the fasting plasma insulin (r = 0.523; P <
0.0001), HOMA value (r = 0.483; P < 0.0005), and AUC-I (r = 0.352; P <
0.05) and negative correlations between membrane fluidity determined
with two fluorescent probes and plasma fasting insulin (r = -0.320; r
= -0.365; P < 0.05) and HOMA value (r = -0.321; r = -0.382; P < 0.05).
There were also correlations between SM and the three markers of insu
lin resistance in the impaired glucose tolerance group. There was no c
orrelation between insulin resistance and other membrane components. S
tepwise multiple regression analysis in the NGT group confirmed that t
he membrane SM content was an independent predictor of plasma fasting
insulin, HOMA values, and AUC-I variations. Sphingomyelin could be one
of the membrane parameters contributing to insulin resistance.