Muscle sympathetic nerve activity is associated with liver insulin sensitivity in obese non-diabetic men

Daniel L. T. Chen, Rachael Brown, Carsten Liess, Anne Poljak, Aimin Xu, Jialiang Zhang, Michael Trenell, Arthur Jenkins, Donald Chisholm, Dorit Samocha-Bonet, Vaughan G. Macefield, Jerry R. Greenfield

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Introduction: Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) may play a role in insulin resistance in obesity. However, the direction and nature of the relationship between MSNA and insulin resistance in obesity remain unclear. We hypothesized that resting MSNA would correlate inversely with both muscle and liver insulin sensitivity and that it would be higher in insulin-resistant vs. insulin-sensitive subjects. Materials and methods: Forty-five non-diabetic obese subjects were studied. As no significant relationships were found in women, the data presented in on 22 men aged 48 ± 12 years. Two-step (15 and 80 mU/m2/min) hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamps were performed using deuterated glucose to determine liver and muscle insulin sensitivity. Clinical and metabolic parameters were assessed. MSNA was measured via a microelectrode inserted percutaneously into the common peroneal nerve. Results: MSNA burst frequency correlated inversely with liver insulin sensitivity (r = -0.53, P = 0.02) and positively with the hepatokines C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-19 (r = 0.57, P = 0.006, and r = -0.47, P = 0.03, respectively). MSNA burst frequency was lower in Liversen compared to Liverres (27 ± 5 vs. 38 ± 2 bursts per minute; P = 0.03). Muscle insulin sensitivity was unrelated to MSNA. Discussion: Sympathetic neural activation is related to liver insulin sensitivity and circulating hepatokines CRP and FGF-19 in non-diabetic obese men. These results suggest a potential hepato-endocrine-autonomic axis. Future studies are needed to clarify the influence of MSNA on liver insulin sensitivity in men.
Original languageEnglish
Article number101
Number of pages7
JournalFrontiers in Physiology
Volume8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017

Open Access - Access Right Statement

©2017 Chen, Brown, Liess, Poljak, Xu, Zhang, Trenell, Jenkins, Chisholm, Samocha-Bonet, Macefield and Greenfield. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

Keywords

  • insulin resistance
  • liver
  • sympathetic nervous system

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Muscle sympathetic nerve activity is associated with liver insulin sensitivity in obese non-diabetic men'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this