Rosiglitazone induced improvement of insulin sensitivity is mediated by tissue-specific changes of 11ß-HSD1 activity

Introduction: The insulin sensitising effect of the PPARγ agonist rosiglitazone (R) is comparable to the effect of a reduction in 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) activity in animal models. However it is unclear, whether the R-induced insulin sensitivity is associated with a decrease in 11β-HSD1 activity in different tissues. We therefore aimed to investigate the tissue-specific effects of R on 11β-HSD1 and its association with insulin resistance. Study design: 7 male volunteers with impaired glucose tolerance were studied (59.3±7.9 years, BMI 29.3±4.1kg/m2) before and after 8 weeks of R treatm…