Abstract
Diabetes is one of the world’s greatest health related concerns, and it affects more and more people every year.
The objective of this thesis was to investigate the various effects that the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone exerted in rats. Dexamethasone in high concentration has been shown to induce insulin resistance in rat models, the models showing similar signs of disease as in patients affected by Cushing’s syndrome.
The purpose of this thesis was to investigate how dexamethasone treatment affected glucose metabolism in muscles. Skeletal muscles were incubated under the influence of different mediators of glucose and glycogen metabolism; insulin, adrenaline and contraction. Two experiments were conducted; I and II.
The purpose of Experiment I was to investigate the effects of dexamethasone treatment during five days of treatment. Insulin sensitivity was measured with glucose uptake and western blots. Glycogen content and lactate release were also measured.
The purpose of Experiment II was to investigate the effects of dexamethasone treatment after eleven days, and compared how a fed and fasted state affected the dexamethasone-induced state of insulin insensitivity. Glycogen content, western blots, lactate release and glucose uptake were measured.
Experiment I and II show dexamethasone-mediated insulin insensitivity based on alterations in insulin-responsive tissues as skeletal muscles and liver.