Figure 3.
Insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance are impaired in the DEX rats. Insulin tolerance test (ipITT) (a), the constant rate for glucose disappearance during ipITT (KITT) (b), the average blood glucose values during an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (ipGTT) (c) and the area under glucose curve (AUC) obtained during the ipGTT (d). According to the ipITT and the KITT, there was a reduction in the insulin sensitivity in the DEX compared with the CTL rats. Also, dexamethasone treatment resulted in mild glucose intolerance in the DEX rats as can be observed by the calculus of the AUC. Data are presented as the means ± SEM *significantly different vs. control group using unpaired Student’s t-test (P < 0.05; n = 10).