INSULIN REVERSIBILITY OF THE ISOPROTERENOL RESISTANCE OF DIABETIC RATMYOCARDIUM

1. Efficiency of preventive and reversive insulin therapy was compared on rat myocardium following streptozotocin treatment to study the rev ersibility of diabetic catecholamine resistance. 2. When insulin subst itution was initiated immediately after streptozotocin treatment, insu lin successfully prevented the development of diabetic catecholamine r esistance of the myocardium, 3. When insulin substitution was initiate d following the development of isoproterenol resistance, insulin faile d to restore physiological catecholamine sensitivity. 4. These results indicate that once diabetic alterations have already developed, recov ery of biological functions to normal by exogenous insulin substitutio n might be ineffective. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Inc.