Insulin resistance of skeletal muscle plays an important role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. Galanin, a 29/30-amino-acid neuropeptide, plays multiple biological actions, including anti-diabetic effects. Although recent results of our study showed that administration of galanin could mitigate insulin resistance by promoting glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) expression and translocation in skeletal muscle of rats, there is no literature available regarding to the effect of type 1 of galanin receptors (GALR1) on insulin resistance in skeletal muscle of type 2 diabetic rats. Herein, we intended to survey the central effect of GALR1 agonist M617 on insulin resistance in skeletal muscle and its underlying mechanisms. We found that the intracerebroventricular injection of M617 increased glucose infusion rates in hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp tests, but attenuated the plasma insulin and glucose concentrations of diabetic rats. Furthermore, administration of M617 markedly increased GLUT4 mRNA expression and GLUT4 translocation in skeletal muscle of diabetic rats. Last, perfusion of M617 increased phosphorylated Akt and phosphorylated AS160 levels in the skeletal muscle of diabetic rats. In conclusion, central injection of M617 mitigated insulin resistance of skeletal muscle by enhancing GLUT4 translocation from intracellular pools to plasma membranes via the activation of the Akt/AS160/GLUT4 signaling pathway.
Keywords: GALR1; GLUT4; M617; Skeletal muscle.
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