Studies of the Insulin-inhibitory Effect of Human Albumin Fractions*

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Abstract
Human plasma albumin fractions were prepared by the Debro and Cohn method 6 procedures. These preparations were tested in vitro with rat hemidiaphragms for their capacity to inhibit the effect of 1000 [mu] units/ml of insulin. Active preparations inhibited glucose uptake as well as glycogen synthesis. The inhibitory effect could not be correlated with the FFA concentration of the albumin preparation. Albumin from diabetic subjects as a group, showed inhibition at concentrations of 27% or less. Normal albumin preparations were inhibitory only at higher concentrations (3-5%). Albumin from non-diabetic pregnant women appears to have more inhibitory action than normal. The mechanism of insulin inhibition appears to be competitive but is not related to gross binding of insulin to the diaphragm muscle.