Contrasting effects of L-arginine on insulin-mediated blood flow and glucose disposal in the elderly

Insulin increases skeletal muscle blood flow in healthy young subjects by a nitric oxide (NO)-dependent mechanism. Impairment of this mechanism may contribute to the insulin resistance of normal aging. We tested the hypothesis that L-arginine, the endogenous precursor for NO synthesis, would augment insulin-mediated vasodilation and in so doing increase insulin-mediated glucose uptake (IMGU) in healthy elderly subjects. Experiments were conducted on healthy young (n = 9: age, 24 +/- 1 years; body mass index, 24 +/- 1 kg/m(2)) and old (n = 9; age, 77 +/- 2 years; BMI, 25 +/- 1 kg/m(2)) subjects. Each underwent two euglycemic clamp studies. On both occasions, insulin was infused from 0 to 120 minutes (young, 40 mU/m(2)/min; old, 34 mU/m(2)/min). On 1 day, insulin was continued and L-arginine (7.5 mg/kg/min) was coinfused from 120 to 240 minutes. On the second study day, the insulin infusion from 120 minutes onward was adjusted in each subject to match corresponding plasma concentrations during the L-arginine infusion. Calf blood flow was measured bilaterally using venous occlusion plethysmography. Mean arterial blood pressure decreased in response to L-arginine in both young (77 +/- 1 v 73 +/- 1 mm Hg; P < .05) and old (103 +/- 2 v 94 +/- 2 mm Hg; P < .01). Calf vascular conductance increased in young (from 0.094 +/- 0.009 to 0.113 +/- 0.012 mL/100 mL/min/mm Hg; P < .01) and old (from 0.035 +/- 0.003 to 0.050 +/- 0.003 mL/100 mL/min/mm Hg; P < .01), consistent with the concept that the addition of substrate can augment skeletal muscle endothelial NO production in both age groups. Calf blood flow increased in both young (control, 7.04 +/- 0.73; L-arginine. 8.02 +/- 0.78 mL/100 mL/min; P < .05) and old (control, 3.60 +/- 0.27: L-arginine, 4.65 +/- 0.23 mL/100 mL/min; P < .0001) subjects, yet L-arginine had no impact on glucose disposal in either age group. In conclusion, L-arginine caused skeletal muscle vasodilation in the elderly, indicating that this endothelially mediated response is not attenuated with age. However, this increase in blood flow had no impact on insulin-mediated glucose uptake. Copyright (C) 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.