Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 Jan;50(1):113-20.
doi: 10.1007/s00125-006-0475-1. Epub 2006 Nov 9.

Impaired in vivo mitochondrial function but similar intramyocellular lipid content in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and BMI-matched control subjects

V B Schrauwen-Hinderling  1 , M E Kooi, M K C Hesselink, J A L Jeneson, W H Backes, C J A van Echteld, J M A van Engelshoven, M Mensink, P Schrauwen
Affiliations

Impaired in vivo mitochondrial function but similar intramyocellular lipid content in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and BMI-matched control subjects

V B Schrauwen-Hinderling et al. Diabetologia. 2007 Jan.

Abstract

Aims/hypothesis: Mitochondrial dysfunction and increased intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) content have both been implicated in the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus, but the relative contributions of these two factors in the aetiology of diabetes are unknown. As obesity is an independent determinant of IMCL content, we examined mitochondrial function and IMCL content in overweight type 2 diabetes patients and BMI-matched normoglycaemic controls.

Methods: In 12 overweight type 2 diabetes patients and nine controls with similar BMI (29.4 +/- 1 and 29.3 +/- 0.9 kg/m(2) respectively) in vivo mitochondrial function was determined by measuring phosphocreatine recovery half-time (PCr half-time) immediately after exercise, using phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy. IMCL content was determined by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging and insulin sensitivity was measured with a hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamp.

Results: The PCr half-time was 45% longer in diabetic patients compared with controls (27.3 +/- 3.5 vs 18.7 +/- 0.9 s, p < 0.05), whereas IMCL content was similar (1.37 +/- 0.30 vs 1.25 +/- 0.22% of the water resonance), and insulin sensitivity was reduced in type 2 diabetes patients (26.0 +/- 2.2 vs 18.9 +/- 2.3 mumol min(-1) kg(-1), p < 0.05 [all mean +/- SEM]). PCr half-time correlated positively with fasting plasma glucose (r (2) = 0.42, p < 0.01) and HbA(1c) (r (2) = 0.48, p < 0.05) in diabetic patients.

Conclusions/interpretation: The finding that in vivo mitochondrial function is decreased in type 2 diabetes patients compared with controls whereas IMCL content is similar suggests that low mitochondrial function is more strongly associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes than a high IMCL content per se. Whether low mitochondrial function is a cause or consequence of the disease remains to be investigated.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Reumatismo. 2004 Jan-Mar;56(1):9-14 - PubMed
    1. Scand J Clin Lab Invest. 1979 Oct;39(6):551-8 - PubMed
    1. Gerontology. 1984;30(1):2-7 - PubMed
    1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003 Jun 24;100(13):7996-8001 - PubMed
    1. Muscle Nerve. 2001 Dec;24(12):1665-76 - PubMed

Publication types