Preserved GLP-I effects on glycogen synthase a activity and glucose metabolism in isolated hepatocytes and skeletal muscle from diabetic rats.

To search if biological effects of GLP-I on glucose metabolism in extrapancreatic tissue are present in diabetic states, we have studied the action of GLP-I and insulin on glycogen-enzyme activity, glycogen synthesis, and glucose metabolism in isolated hepatocytes and soleus muscle from adult streptozotocin (STZ)- and neonatal STZ-treated diabetic rats. This work confirms the previously reported insulin-like effects of GLP-I on glucose metabolism in both muscle and liver tissue from normal rats (control). The present study extends those observations to the muscle and liver tissue of diabetic animals. In both muscle and liver tissue, the metabolism of D-glucose, in the absence of added peptides, was more severely affected in adult STZ (IDDM model) than in neonatal STZ (nSTZ; NIDDM model) rats, and the magnitude of hormonal effect on metabolic variables was lower in diabetic rats than in control rats, as a rule. Nevertheless, in liver and muscle tissue of diabetic rats, GLP-I was able to increase glycogen synthase activity, augment the net rate of D-[U-14C]glucose incorporation into glycogen, and increase D-[5-3H]glucose utilization, D-[U-14C]glucose oxidation, and lactate production. In conclusion, GLP-I exerts insulin-like effects on D-glucose metabolism in both muscle and liver tissue in IDDM or NIDDM animal models, and present observations reinforce the view that GLP-I may represent a most promising tool in the treatment of diabetic patients.

Effects of glucagon-like peptide 1 on the kinetics of glycogen synthase a in hepatocytes from normal and diabetic rats.

Glucagon-like peptide 1(7-36)amide (GLP-1) is currently under investigation as a possible tool in the treatment of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. In addition to enhancing nutrient-stimulated insulin release, the peptide also favors glycogen synthesis and glucose use in liver, muscle, and adipose tissue. GLP-1 also activates glycogen synthase a in hepatocytes from both normal and diabetic rats. In the present study, the kinetic aspects of such an activation were investigated in hepatocytes from normal rats and from animals rendered diabetic induced by injection of streptozotocin, either in the adult age (insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus model) or in days 1 or 5 after birth (non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus models). GLP-1 increased, in a dose-dependent manner, glycogen synthase a activity in the hepatocytes from all groups studied. The activation of the enzyme reached a steady state within 1 min exposure to GLP-1, which, at 10(-12) M, caused a half-maximal activation. When comparing fed vs. overnight-starved normal rats, a somewhat lower basal activity of glycogen synthase a in fasted animals (P < 0.05) coincided with a greater relative increment in reaction velocity in response to GLP-1. The basal activity of glycogen synthase a and the relative extent of its inhibition by glucagon or activation by insulin and GLP-1 were modulated by the extracellular concentration of D-glucose. The activation of glycogen synthase a by either insulin or GLP-1 resulted not solely in an increase in maximal velocity but also in a decrease in affinity of the enzyme for uridine diphosphate-glucose; in diabetic animals, the capacity of insulin or GLP-1 to increase the maximal velocity and Michaelis-Menten constant were less marked than in normal rats. In conclusion, this study indicates that the GLP-1-induced activation of glycogen synthase a displays attributes of rapidity, sensitivity, and nutritional dependency that are well suited for both participation in the physiological regulation of enzyme activity and therapeutic purpose.

Presence and characterization of glucagon-like peptide-1(7-36) amide receptors in solubilized membranes of rat adipose tissue.

Specific binding of [125I]glucagon-like peptide-1(7-36)amide ([125I]GLP-1(7-36)amide) to solubilized rat adipose tissue membranes was found to be dependent on temperature, time, and membrane protein concentration and readily dissociated. GLP-1(1-36)amide, GLP-2, or glucagon (10(-6) M) did not compete with [125I]GLP-1(7-36)amide binding. Half-maximal binding was achieved with 8 x 10(-10) M unlabeled GLP-1(7-36)amide, and the Scatchard plot revealed the presence of high and low affinity binding sites with Kd values of approximately 0.6 and 20 nM, respectively. The binding capacity of [125I]GLP-1(7-36)amide was about 3 times higher than that of [125I]glucagon, while the high affinity Kd and the half-maximal binding of the two peptides were similar. The presence and abundance of GLP-1(7-36)amide receptors in fat tissue together with the previous findings that the peptide stimulates glycerol and cAMP production in rat adipocytes and stimulates fatty acid synthesis in explants of rat adipose tissue open the possibility that this insulinotropic intestinal peptide may also be involved in the regulation of lipid metabolism in health and disease.

Presence of glucagon and glucagon-like peptide-1-(7-36)amide receptors in solubilized membranes of human adipose tissue.

Specific receptors for glucagon and for glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) (7-36)amide have been found in solubilized human adipose membranes. The 50% inhibition dose of the corresponding unlabeled peptide was near to their physiological levels [ID50, 0.5 nmol/L for glucagon and 1.0 nmol/L for GLP-1(7-36)amide;]. In both cases, the presence of high affinity receptors was evident [Kd, 0.5 and 0.7 nmol/L for glucagon and GLP-1(7-36)amide, respectively]; the high affinity maximal binding capacity for GLP-1(7-36)amide was higher than that for glucagon (893 and 117 fmol/mg solubilized fat membranes, respectively). Glucagon at 10(-6) mol/L did not compete with the [125I]GLP-1(7-36)amide binding, nor did GLP-1(7-36)amide (10(-6) mol/L) compete with that of [125I]glucagon. The relative abundance of GLP-1(7-36)amide receptors in human adipose tissue is further support for a direct and probably important action of this peptide in the metabolism of the fat cell.

Glucagon-like peptide 1: a potent glycogenic hormone.

GLP-1(7-36)amide is an insulinotropic peptide derived from the intestinal post-translational proglucagon process, the release of which is increased mainly after a carbohydrate meal; also, its anti-diabetogenic effect in normal and diabetic states has been reported. In this study, GLP-1(7-36)amide stimulates the formation of glycogen from glucose in isolated rat hepatocytes, such a glycogenic effect being achieved with physiological concentrations of the peptide. The GLP-1(7-36)amide-induced glycogenesis is abolished by glucagon, and it is accompanied by stimulation of the glycogen synthase alpha activity and by a decrease in the basal and glucagon-stimulated cyclic AMP content. These findings could explain, at least in part, the GLP-1(7-36)amide insulin-independent plasma glucose lowering effect.

Cell signalling of glucagon-like peptide-1 action in rat skeletal muscle.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), an incretin with glucose-dependent insulinotropic and insulin-independent antidiabetic properties, has insulin-like effects on glucose metabolism in extrapancreatic tissues participating in overall glucose homeostasis. These effects are exerted through specific receptors not associated with cAMP, an inositol phosphoglycan being a possible second messenger. In rat hepatocytes, activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (PKB), protein kinase C (PKC) and protein phosphatase 1 (PP-1) has been shown to be involved in the GLP-1-induced stimulation of glycogen synthase. We have investigated the role of enzymes known or suggested to mediate the actions of insulin in the GLP-1-induced increase in glycogen synthase a activity in rat skeletal muscle strips. We first explored the effect of GLP-1, compared with that of insulin, on the activation of PI3K, PKB, p70s6 kinase (p70s6k) and p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and the action of specific inhibitors of these kinases on the insulin- and GLP-1-induced increment in glycogen synthase a activity. The study showed that GLP-1, like insulin, activated PI3K/PKB, p70s6k and p44/42. Wortmannin (a PI3K inhibitor) reduced the stimulatory action of insulin on glycogen synthase a activity and blocked that of GLP-1, rapamycin (a 70s6k inhibitor) did not affect the action of GLP-1 but abolished that of insulin, PD98059 (MAPK inhibitor) was ineffective on insulin but blocked the action of GLP-1, okadaic acid (a PP-2A inhibitor) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (a PP-1 inhibitor) were both ineffective on GLP-1 but abolished the action of insulin, and Ro 31-8220 (an inhibitor of some PKC isoforms) reduced the effect of GLP-1 while completely preventing that of insulin. It was concluded that activation of PI3K/PKB and MAPKs is required for the GLP-1-induced increment in glycogen synthase a activity, while PKC, although apparently participating, does not seem to play an essential role; unlike in insulin signaling, p70s6k, PP-1 and PP-2A do not seem to be needed in the action of GLP-1 upon glycogen synthase a activity in rat muscle.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose metabolism in human myocytes.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) has been shown to have insulin-like effects upon the metabolism of glucose in rat liver, muscle and fat, and on that of lipids in rat and human adipocytes. These actions seem to be exerted through specific receptors which, unlike that of the pancreas, are not - at least in liver and muscle - cAMP-associated. Here we have investigated the effect, its characteristics, and possible second messengers of GLP-1 on the glucose metabolism of human skeletal muscle, in tissue strips and primary cultured myocytes. In muscle strips, GLP-1, like insulin, stimulated glycogen synthesis, glycogen synthase a activity, and glucose oxidation and utilization, and inhibited glycogen phosphorylase a activity, all of this at physiological concentrations of the peptide. In cultured myotubes, GLP-1 exerted, from 10(-13) mol/l, a dose-related increase of the D-[U-(14)C]glucose incorporation into glycogen, with the same potency as insulin, together with an activation of glycogen synthase a; the effect of 10(-11) mol/l GLP-1 on both parameters was additive to that induced by the equimolar amount of insulin. Synthase a was still activated in cells after 2 days of exposure to GLP-1, as compared with myotubes maintained in the absence of peptide. In human muscle cells, exendin-4 and its truncated form 9-39 amide (Ex-9) are both agonists of the GLP-1 effect on glycogen synthesis and synthase a activity; but while neither GLP-1 nor exendin-4 affected the cellular cAMP content after 5-min incubation in the absence of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxantine (IBMX), an increase was detected with Ex-9. GLP-1, exendin-4, Ex-9 and insulin all induced the prompt hydrolysis of glycosylphosphatidylinositols (GPIs). This work shows a potent stimulatory effect of GLP-1 on the glucose metabolism of human skeletal muscle, and supports the long-term therapeutic value of the peptide. Further evidence for a GLP-1 receptor in this tissue, different from that of the pancreas, is also illustrated, suggesting a role for an inositolphosphoglycan (IPG) as at least one of the possible second messengers of the GLP-1 action in human muscle.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 binding to rat hepatic membranes.

We have found [125I]glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1(7-36)amide specific binding activity in rat liver and isolated hepatocyte plasma membranes, with an M(r) of approximately 63,000, estimated by cross-linking and SDS-PAGE. The specific binding was time- and membrane protein concentration-dependent, and equally displaced by unlabelled GLP-1(7-36)amide and by GLP-1(1-36)amide, achieving its ID50 at 3 x 10(-9) M of the peptides. GLP-1(7-36)amide did not modify the basal or the glucagon (10(-8) M)-stimulated adenylate cyclase in the hepatocyte plasma membranes. These data, together with our previous findings of a potent glycogenic effect of GLP-1(7-36)amide in isolated rat hepatocytes, led us to postulate that the insulin-like effects of this peptide on glucose liver metabolism could be mediated by a type of receptor probably different from that described for GLP-1 in pancreatic B-cells or, alternatively, by the same receptor which, in this tissue as well as in muscle, uses a different transduction system.

Parathyroid hormone-related peptide stimulates DNA synthesis and insulin secretion in pancreatic islets.

Parathyroid hormone (PTH)-related protein (PTHrP) is present in the pancreatic islet. Recent data in transgenic mice suggest that PTHrP might modulate islet mass and insulin secretion. In the present study, we assessed the effect of the N-terminal PTH-like region of PTHrP on DNA synthesis in isolated rat islets. PTHrP (1-34), between 1 pM and 10 nM, for 48 h stimulated []thymidine incorporation into rat islets. This effect was maximally induced, about 2.5-fold over control, by 10 pM of this peptide, decreasing thereafter. In contrast, PTHrP (38-64) amide or PTHrP (107-139) were ineffective in increasing DNA synthesis in islets. Using reverse transcription followed by PCR, we confirmed that rat islets express PTHrP and the type I PTH/PTHrP receptor. Addition of a neutralizing anti-PTHrP antibody to the incubation medium of proliferating islets decreased islet DNA synthesis by 30%. The effect of a submaximal dose (30 pM) of PTHrP (1-34) on DNA synthesis in rat islets was abolished by 25 nM bisindolylmaleimide I, a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, but not by 25 microM adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphorothioate, Rp-isomer, a protein kinase A inhibitor. Moreover, 100 nM phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate for 48 h also increased DNA synthesis 2-fold over controls in islets. PTHrP (1-34), at 100 nM, in contrast to 50 microM forskolin or 10 mM NaF, failed to affect adenylate cyclase activity in islet membranes. PTHrP, at 30 pM, was also found to increase 2-fold insulin released into the islet-conditioned medium within 24-48 h. Our results suggest that PTHrP is a modulator of pancreatic islet growth and/or function by a PKC-mediated mechanism.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 binding to rat skeletal muscle.

We have found [125I]glucagon-like peptide-1(7-36)-amide-specific binding activity in rat skeletal muscle plasma membranes, with an estimated M(r) of 63,000 by cross-linking and SDS-PAGE. The specific binding was time and membrane protein concentration dependent, and displaceable by unlabeled GLP-1(7-36)-amide with an ID50 of 3 x 10(-9) M of the peptide; GLP-1(1-36)-amide also competed, whereas glucagon and insulin did not. GLP-1(7-36)-amide did not modify the basal adenylate cyclase activity in skeletal muscle plasma membranes. These data, together with our previous finding of a potent glycogenic effect of GLP-1(7-36)-amide in rat soleus muscle, and also in isolated hepatocytes, which was not accompanied by a rise in the cell cyclic AMP content, lead use to believe that the insulin-like effects of this peptide on glucose metabolism in the muscle could be mediated by a type of receptor somehow different to that described for GLP-1 in pancreatic B cells, where GLP-1 action is mediated by the cyclic AMP-adenylate cyclase system.

Potentiation of the insulinotropic and hypoglycemic action of gliquidone by succinic acid esters.

The monoethyl, monopropyl and monoisopropyl esters of succinic acid, administered intravenously at the dose of 2 micromol/g body weight, were found to increase the insulinotropic action of gliquidone (0.2 nmol/g body weight) in anaesthetized rats. The monoisopropyl ester of succinic acid also doubled the hypoglycemic action of gliquidone. These findings indicate that it is possible to design esters of succinic acid that are devoid of the risk of generating methanol by intracellular hydrolysis, and yet susceptible to increase both the insulinotropic and hypoglycemic responses to antidiabetic agents.

Pancreatic and extrapancreatic effects of GLP-1.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), an incretin hormone which helps to regulate plasma glucose levels, is considered a potential agent for the treatment of type-2 diabetes mellitus, because of its insulinotropic capacity and insulinomimetic actions. In normal conditions, the beta-cell secretory response to GLP-1 is modulated by the extracellular concentration of D-glucose; however, the recognition of D-glucose by the beta-cell is often impaired in type-2 diabetes, and this could impede the full GLP-1 insulinotropic action. Non-glucidic substrates, such as the dimethyl ester of succinic acid, restore the effect of GLP-1 in the isolated perfused rat pancreas of normal or diabetic rats, in the absence of any other exogenous nutrient; likewise, the dimethyl ester of succinic or L-glutamic acid, and the monomethyl ester of pyruvic acid, potentiate the in vivo beta-cell secretory response to GLP-1 in normal and diabetic rats. Therefore, it was proposed that nutrients susceptible to bypass the site-specific defects of the diabetic beta-cell, could be used to potentiate and/or prolong the insulinotropic action of antidiabetic agents such as GLP-1. In vitro, GLP-1 insulin-like effects on glucose metabolism have been documented in normal and diabetic rat liver, and in rat and human skeletal muscle. In rat and human adipocytes, GLP-1 is lipolytic and/or lipogenic, and also stimulates parameters involved in the glucose metabolism. In liver, muscle and fat, GLP-1 seems to act through specific receptors, apparently different--at least in liver and muscle--in structure or signaling pathway from the pancreatic one. It is proposed that an inositolphosphoglycan might be a second messenger of GLP-1 action in extrapancreatic tissues.

Stimulation of insulin secretion and potentiation of glibenclamide-induced insulin release by the dimethyl ester of glutamic acid in anaesthetized rats.

The dimethyl ester of L-glutamic acid (GME) stimulates insulin release in isolated pancreatic islets and may represent a novel experimental tool in the study of non-insulin-dependent diabetes. In the present study, GME was found both to stimulate insulin secretion and to augment glibenclamide-stimulated insulin release in normal anaesthetized rats. A comparable hierarchy in the magnitude of the secretory response to GME and/or glibenclamide was found in control rats and animals injected with streptozotocin during the neonatal period. In the latter animals, however, the B-cell secretory response was invariably lower than in control animals. It is proposed that GME represents a novel tool to bypass anomalies of glucose transport and metabolism in the beta cell and, hence, to stimulate insulin release and enhance the insulinotropic action of hypoglycaemic sulphonylurea in animal models of non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

Potentiation by glutamic acid dimethyl ester of GLP-1 insulinotropic action in fed anaesthetized rats.

The dimethyl ester of L-glutamic acid (DMG) stimulates insulin release and was proposed as a possible insulinotropic tool in the treatment of non-insulin-dependent diabetes. In such a perspective, it was investigated whether DMG enhances the B-cell secretory response to GLP-1 in fed anaesthetized rats. The primed constant infusion of DMG (1.0 micromol and then 0.5 micromol/min, both per g body wt.) provoked a rapid and sustained increase in plasma insulin concentration and augmented the release of insulin caused by GLP-1. Thus, DMG indeed appears as a suitable tool to potentiate the insulinotropic action of GLP-1.

Potentiation by methyl pyruvate of GLP-1 insulinotropic action in normal rats.

Methyl pyruvate (MP) stimulates insulin release both in vivo and in vitro. The present study aims at investigating whether MP is also able to enhance the B-cell secretory response to glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). In anaesthetized rats receiving a primed constant infusion of MP, the ester augmented plasma insulin concentration before GLP-1 injection and potentiated the insulinotropic action of the intestinal hormone. MP infusion also augmented plasma D-glucose concentration, whether in the absence or presence of GLP-1. A further rise in plasma D-glucose concentration was observed when the infusion of MP was halted, this coinciding with a fall in plasma insulin concentration. Whilst documenting that MP indeed enhances the B-cell secretory response to GLP-1, these findings do not suggest that MP is an appropriate tool for optimizing the hypoglycaemic action of the enteric hormone in the treatment of type-2 diabetes mellitus.

Synergistic insulinotropic effects of succinic acid dimethyl ester and exendin-4 in anaesthetized rats.

It was recently proposed that suitable succinic acid esters could be used to potentiate the insulinotropic action of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) in the treatment of type-2 diabetes mellitus. In such a perspective, the present study aimed mainly at investigating whether exendin-4 (Ex-4), a peptide structurally related to GLP-1(7-36)amide, and succinic acid dimethyl ester (SAD) also act synergistically upon insulin secretion in anaesthetized rats. Despite a higher plasma insulin concentration in SAD-infused rats (5.5+/-1.1 ng/ml) than in saline-infused animals (1.9+/-0.7 ng/ml), the intravenous injection of Ex-4 augmented to a greater extent the plasma concentration of insulin in the former rats (+7.4+/-2.5 ng/ml) than in the latter animals (+2.8+/-0.6 ng/ml). These findings document that the insulinotropic actions of Ex-4 and GLP-1 display comparable nutrient dependency, being both potentiated by a non-glucidic nutrient secretagogue such as SAD.

Prolongation of the insulinotropic action of glucagon-like peptide 1 by the dimethyl ester of succinic acid in an animal model of type-2 diabetes.

Adult rats, that had been injected with streptozotocin during the neonatal period, received a primed constant infusion of succinic acid dimethyl ester (SAD; 0.5 micromol followed by 0.25 micromol x min(-1), both per g body wt.) in saline for 15 min and, at the 5th min of such an infusion, an intravenous injection of GLP-1 (5 pmol per g body wt.). Within 2 min, the ester increased the plasma insulin concentration by 0.33+/-0.05 nM. Likewise, within 2 min, GLP-1 provoked a marked increase in plasma insulin concentration; such an increase was comparable in rats infused with either saline or SAD, with an overall mean value of 0.93+/-0.07 nM. In the rats infused with SAD, however, the secretory response to GLP-1 appeared more sustained than in the saline-infused animals. For instance, the paired ratio for the insulinogenic index at 10/2 min after GLP-1 injection averaged 30.5+/-4.0% in SAD-infused rats, as compared (P<0.025) to only 17.0+/-2.5% in saline-infused animals. These findings suggest that succinic acid esters could be used to prolong the insulinotropic action of GLP-1 in the treatment of type-2 diabetes.

Activation of glycogen synthase a in hepatocytes exposed to alpha-D-glucose pentaacetate.

The effects of alpha-D-glucose pentaacetate (1.7 mM) upon glycogen synthase a activity and lactate output were examined in rat hepatocytes incubated at increasing concentrations of D-glucose. The ester enhanced the activity of glycogen synthase a at all concentrations (2.8, 4.0 and 8.0 mM) of D-glucose, which itself provoked a concentration-related increase in enzymatic activity. Likewise, the output of lactate augmented at increasing concentrations of D-glucose. However, alpha-D-glucose pentaacetate failed to cause a further increase in lactate output, the trend being even towards a lower production of lactate in the presence than absence of the ester. These findings suggest that the activation of glycogen synthase a by alpha-D-glucose pentaacetate and the subsequent increase in glycogen synthesis are sufficiently pronounced to prevent the increase in glycolysis otherwise expected from the generation of unesterified D-glucose from the same ester. Such a situation, which differs from that previously documented in pancreatic islet cells, could be favourable in the perspective of using alpha-D-glucose pentaacetate as a novel insulinotropic, and hence hypoglycaemic, tool in the treatment of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Impaired in vivo insulin secretion in response to non-glucidic secretagogues in adult rats after neonatal streptozotocin.

In the perfused pancreas of adult rats that were injected with streptozotocin (STZ) during the neonatal period, the release of insulin caused by glucose is more severely affected than that evoked by other secretagogues. We have now examined whether a comparable situation prevails in vivo. In anesthetised rats, the 0-10 min plasma insulin incremental area recorded after intravenous glucose administration (2.8 mumol/g body wt) was severely decreased in STZ rats, with a K value for glucose utilization of 1.9 +/- 0.2 x 10(-2)/min, as compared with control rats, with a K value of 4.4 +/- 0.4 x 10(-2)/min. At the 2nd min of the test, the plasma insulin increment was about 5 times lower in STZ than control rats. After glibenclamide administration (0.1 nmol/g body wt), the insulin incremental area was 3 times lower in STZ than control rats. Relative to the post-prandial readings, the plasma glucose concentration was decreased to the same extent, however, in control and STZ rats injected with glibenclamide. The secretory response to succinic acid methyl ester (SAM; 1.0 mumol/g body wt) was virtually abolished in the STZ rats. In the latter animals, SAM also failed to enhance the hypoglycemic action of glibenclamide in contrast to the situation found in control rats. Iterative intraperitoneal administration of SAM (1.0 mumol/g body wt) thrice daily for 7-10 days failed to improve significantly the insulin secretory response to glucose or glibenclamide, whether in control or STZ rats. These findings indicate that the altered metabolism of glucose in the B cell of STZ rats coincides with an impaired secretory response to glibenclamide and SAM, as possibly attributable, in part at least, to a loss of the modulating action of glucose upon the secretory response to the hypoglycemic sulfonylurea and succinate ester.

Amylin exerts osteogenic actions with different efficacy depending on the diabetic status.

Amylin displays osteogenic features, but its role in diabetic osteopenia is unclear. We examined the possible osteogenic action of amylin infusion for 3days into fructose-induced insulin-resistant (IR) and streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic (T2D) and normal (N) rats. Amylin failed to affect glycaemia or parathyroid hormone levels in any group, but reduced hyperinsulinemia in IR rats. In N rats, amylin increased bone formation rate and reduced osteoclast surface and erosive surface in the femoral metaphysis, and increased osteoprotegerin (OPG)/receptor activator of NFκB ligand (RANKL) mRNA ratio in the tibia. In T2D rats, amylin normalized trabecular structure parameters and increased osteoblast number and osteocalcin (OC) expression in long bones. In contrast, in IR rats, no apparent osteogenic effect of amylin in the femur was observed, although both OC and OPG/RANKL ratio were increased in the tibia. Our findings demonstrate a different osteogenic efficacy of amylin in two diabetic settings.