The role of nitric oxide in the regulation of skeletal muscle glucose uptake during exercise

Funded Activity Summary

When a muscle is at rest it takes up and uses glucose from the blood. When that muscle is stimulated to contract it increases its glucose use to provide, in part, the energy for that contraction. These facts have been known for decades but the muscle signals involved with the movement of glucose from the blood into skeletal muscle remain poorly understood. Very recently, a new potential regulator of skeletal muscle glucose uptake has surfaced. Nitric oxide (NO), which has been shown to participate in blood flow, nerve transmission and immune function, appears to be a necessary component for muscle glucose uptake at rest and during exercise. We have shown that blocking muscle NO production substantially reduces leg glucose uptake during exercise. The aim of this project is to verify this finding and to determine the mechanisms underlying this result. One way we intend to do this is to see whether a drug (Viagra) which increases the effects of NO, raises muscle glucose uptake at rest and during exercise. In rats, a drug almost identical to Viagra stimulates muscle glucose uptake. If Viagra is shown to increase glucose uptake this information may provide the initial human data necessary to develop new drugs to lower blood glucose levels in people with diabetes.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2000

End Date: 01-01-2002

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $249,250.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Basic pharmacology

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

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Other Keywords

"Fitness" | Aerobic exercise | Glucose intolerance | Glucose uptake | Insulin sensitivity | Muscle function | Nitric oxide | Skeletal muscle | Type 2 diabetes

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