Changes in insulin sensitivity from stress during repetitive sampling in anesthetized rats.

The effect of repetitive sampling on insulin sensitivity was studied in anesthetized rats. During glucose clamp studies, glucose disposal decreased from 9.3 +/- 0.9 (SE) to 6.5 +/- 1.1 mg.kg-1.min-1 (P less than 0.05), and hepatic glucose output (HGO) increased from 1.2 +/- 0.8 to 2.4 +/- 1.1 mg.kg-1.min-1 (P less than 0.05) after a cumulative blood loss of 9 ml/kg. After a loss of 15 ml/kg, HGO rose further to 4.7 +/- 1.6 mg.kg-1.min-1 (P less than 0.05). During repetitive sampling under identical conditions, plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) increased, despite simultaneous saline infusion, from 68 +/- 11 to 102 +/- 15 pg/ml (P less than 0.05) with a loss of 8 ml/kg, while plasma insulin increased from 39 +/- 7 to 124 +/- 20 mU/l (P less than 0.01) with a loss of 10 ml/kg. Thereafter, ACTH and insulin rose progressively. Plasma corticosterone closely followed the pattern of the ACTH response, indicating that the stress of cumulative blood loss had a significant effect on adrenal steroid production. Increases in ACTH were retarded by reduced volume loss and accelerated by increased loss. It is concluded that stress from blood loss greater than 7 ml/kg may be a source of error in the evaluation of glucose turnover and insulin sensitivity during clamp experiments in rats.