Effect of insulin on glucose transport and metabolism in isolated fat-cells of gonadal adipose tissue from mature age-matched male and female rats.

Insulin action on glucose transport and metabolism was studied in paraovarian adipocytes from 3-month-old female rats and compared with insulin action in epididymal adipocytes from closely age-matched males. At maximal insulin concentrations the stimulations of 2-deoxyglucose uptake (4-fold the basal value) and of [U-14C]glucose incorporation into CO2 and total lipids (3- and 2-fold the basal values respectively) were similar in adipocytes from rats of both sexes. At submaximal insulin concentrations (less than 0.2 nM) the ability of paraovarian adipocytes to transport and to metabolize glucose was higher than that of epididymal adipocytes; accordingly an increase in insulin binding was observed in paraovarian adipocytes as compared with epididymal adipocytes. These results show that paraovarian adipocytes from mature female rats were highly responsive to insulin, and exhibited a higher sensitivity to the hormone than did epididymal adipocytes from male rats of the same age.