Insulin binding and action on adipocytes from female rats with experimentally induced chronic hyperprolactinemia.

We studied insulin binding and action in adipocytes from female rats with chronic hyperprolactinemia induced by grafting an anterior pituitary gland under the right kidney capsule. Normal basal insulin plasma levels were detected. An increase in insulin binding due to an increased number of receptors was observed (grafted: 193,000 +/- 13,000 (6) receptors/cell vs. controls: 136,000 +/- 17,000 (6) receptors/cell, P less than 0.05). No changes in receptor affinity were detected (ED50 grafted: 2.3 X 10(-9) M and ED50 controls: 1.6 X 10(-9) M). The antilipolytic activity of insulin was significantly decreased in adipocytes from rats with hyperprolactinemia, indicating an insulin-resistant state in these animals. These findings suggest that the chronic hyperprolactinemic state can modify receptor and post-receptor insulin events in rat parametrial adipose tissue.