The sympathetic response to euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemia

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Abstract
Sympathetic nervous system activation by insulin has been suggested as a mechanism explaining the association between insulin resistance and hypertension. We further examined the effect of insulin by direct microneurographic muscle and skin nerve sympathetic activity recordings during euglycaemic insulin clamps in healthy subjects. The mean plasma insulin level was elevated from 5.3±0.7 to 92.2±2.2 mU/l in seven subjects during a 90-min one-step clamp. In six other subjects plasma insulin was further raised from 85.7±4.0 mU/l to 747±53 mU/l between 45–90 min (two-step clamp). Four of the latter subjects received a sham clamp with NaCl infusions only on a second recording session. At the low dose of insulin muscle nerve sympathetic activity increased from a resting level of 22.7±5.0 bursts per min to 27.7±5.0 bursts per min at 15 min (ppn=3) did not change during insulin infusions. Heart rate increased slightly but significantly (p<0.005), during the insulin clamps. Blood pressure was not notably affected. In conclusion, hyperinsulinaemia was associated with increased vasoconstrictor nerve activity to skeletal muscle and with no change of sympathetic outflow to skin.