In Vivo Assessment of the Effects of Pioglitazone on Muscle Oxidative Capacity & Intramyocellular Lipid Content in Diabetic Rats using 31P & 1H MRS

Bart Wessels¹, Jolita Ciapaite¹, Klaas Nicolay¹, Jeanine Prompers¹

The aim of this study was to investigate if the pioglitazones insulin-sensitizing effect is accompanied by improved in vivo skeletal muscle mitochondrial function and reduced intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) levels in a rat model of type 2 diabetes using ³¹P and ¹H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), respectively. Two weeks of treatment with pioglitazone lowered fasting plasma glucose levels in Zucker diabetic fatty rats, which were paralleled by a decrease in IMCL and an increase in vivo muscle oxidative capacity. Our results suggest that the insulin-sensitizing effect of pioglitazone is brought about by improved in muscle mitochondrial function and partial normalized IMCL.