Effects of an adenosine-receptor antagonist on insulin-resistance in soleus muscle from obese Zucker rats.

The decreased sensitivity of glycolysis to insulin seen in isolated soleus muscles from genetically obese Zucker rats was abolished by addition of the adenosine-receptor antagonist 8-phenyltheophylline to the incubation medium; 8-phenyltheophylline had no effect on the sensitivity of glycogen synthesis to insulin. These findings suggest that changes in the sensitivity of glucose utilization by muscles of genetically obese rats may be explained, in part, by a modification in either the concentration of adenosine or the affinity of adenosine receptors in skeletal muscle.