Enhancement of whole body glucose uptake during and after human skeletal muscle low-frequency electrical stimulation

Abstract

. Enhancement of whole body glucose uptake during and after human skeletal muscle low-frequency electrical stimulation. J Appl Physiol 94: 2107-2112, 2003. First published January 31, 2003 10.1152/japplphysiol.00486.2002There is considerable evidence to suggest that electrical stimulation (ES) activates glucose uptake in rodent skeletal muscle. It is, however, unknown whether ES can lead to similar metabolic enhancement in humans. We employed low-frequency ES through surface electrodes placed over motor points of quadriceps femoris muscles. In male subjects lying in the supine position, the highest oxygen uptake was obtained by a stimulation pattern with 0.2-ms biphasic square pulses at 20 Hz and a 1-s on-off duty cycle. Oxygen uptake was increased by approximately twofold throughout the 20-min stimulation period and returned to baseline immediately after stimulation. Concurrent elevation of the respiratory exchange ratio and blood lactate concentration indicated anaerobic glycogen breakdown and utilization during ES. Whole body glucose uptake determined by the glucose disposal rate during euglycemic clamp was acutely increased by 2.5 mg ⅐ kg Ϫ1 ⅐ min Ϫ1 in response to ES and, moreover, remained elevated by 3-4 mg ⅐ kg Ϫ1 ⅐ min Ϫ1 for at least 90 min after cessation of stimulation. Thus the stimulatory effect of ES on whole body glucose uptake persisted not only during, but also after, stimulation. Low-frequency ES may become a useful therapeutic approach to activate energy and glucose metabolism in humans. glucose transport; euglycemic clamp; exercise; insulin sensitivity; oxygen uptake PHYSICAL EXERCISE HAS PROFOUND effects on energy and fuel metabolism in contracting skeletal muscle. It is well established that exercise can directly activate glucose uptake in skeletal muscle by inducing translocation of GLUT-4 glucose transporters to the cell surface via an insulin-independent mechanism (contraction-stimulated glucose transport) (10,11,31,37,49). This phenomenon is considered responsible for the acute effect of exercise on glucose transport, with the majority of glucose being taken up by contracting skeletal muscle. In fact, contraction-stimulated GLUT-4 translocation is not impaired in insulin-resistant conditions such as Type 2 diabetes and obesity (25). Furthermore, the period after exercise is also characterized by a substantial increase in insulin sensitivity that leads to insulin-dependent GLUT-4 translocation and glucose transport as a local phenomenon restricted to exercised muscles (9, 13, 39, 40, 48a). Thus these insulin-independent and -dependent mechanisms of exercise have been widely utilized to prevent individuals from developing glucose intolerance and to improve glycemic control in patients with Type 2 diabetes.Clinically, electrical stimulation (ES) of muscle is useful as a modality of assisting muscle contraction for those who have difficulties in performing voluntary exercise. The use of ES has been traditionally employed for muscle strengthening, maintenance of muscle mass and strength, a...

Percutaneous Electrical Muscle Stimulation Attenuates Postprandial Hyperglycemia in Obese and Pre-obese Japanese Men

“…GAS, gas exchange measurement; LAC, blood lactate measurement; BLOOD, blood sampling from antecubital vein. Kimura, T., Matsumoto, K., Kameda, N., Tanaka, S., Hayashi, T. and Moritani, T. body glucose uptake, determined by euglycemic clamp, was greatly increased during and after a single bout of EMS in healthy subjects (Hamada, et al, 2003). Furthermore, it was recently reported that the enhancement of glucose uptake by EMS is much greater than that by voluntary pedaling exercise in healthy subjects (Hamada, et al, 2004a).…”

“…Recently, percutaneous low-frequency (4-20 Hz) electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) has attracted extensive attention, as it eŠectively enhances energy expenditure without limb movements (Caulˆeld, et al, 2004;Hamada, et al, 2003;2004a). EMS is considered a possible new exercise method for individuals who are restricted from performing voluntary physical activity involving limb movements.…”

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation exercise: a potential alternative to conventional exercise in the management of type 2 diabetes

“…Early studies in healthy individuals showed that whole body glucose uptake could be substantially enhanced during and after a single bout of NMES. 8,9 Subsequently it was shown that postprandial glucose levels could be significantly attenuated by 30 min of NMES applied to the lower limbs of patients with T2D. 10 A more recent study also showed that NMES could enhance glucose metabolism in patients with T2D.…”

Efeitos da estimulação elétrica neuromuscular sobre o membro posterior imobilizado de ratos durante 15 dias: análises metabólicas e morfométricas

“…Períodos maiores de EE, 30 a 40 e 60 a 90 dias, mostraram somente tendência ao aumento no conteúdo do GLUT 4, atingindo um platô em torno de 30 a 40 dias. Um resultado importante do estudo de Hamada et al 28 foi que a captação de glicose corporal em ratos é agudamente aumentada em resposta a 20 minutos de EE e este aumento perdura por pelo menos 90 minutos após a finalização da utilização do recurso.…”