Tolbutamide enhances insulin action on gluconeogenesis and on fructose 2,6-bisphosphate levels in isolated rat hepatocytes.

ABSTRACT

In hepatocytes isolated from fed rats and incubated either under basal conditions or in the presence of glucagon, tolbutamide reduced gluconeogenesis from (U-14C) pyruvate by increasing the cellular concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate. Furthermore, this sulfonylurea enhanced the inhibitory action of insulin on glucagon-stimulated gluconeogenesis; this effect was accompanied by a more marked increase of the cellular concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate than that elicited by either insulin or the sulfonylurea alone. In connection with this, tolbutamide--without significant modification of cellular cyclic AMP levels--raised the proportion of 6-phosphofructo 2-kinase in active form in hepatocytes incubated either under basal conditions or in the presence of glucagon, and reinforced the action of insulin in antagonizing the glucagon-mediated inactivation of this enzyme.