Abstract
It was found that diazepam markedly impaired oral glucose tolerance in rats (Seyer-Hansen, K., 1972).
In this experiment the authors attempted to clarify the mechanism of diazepam induced glucose intolerance in rats, both in vivo and in vitro.
The results were summarized as follows:
1) The peripheral blood glucose level showed a gradual increase after a single intraperitoneal injection of diazepam (2mg/100g).
2) Blood glucose reduction in the insulin sensitivity test showed greater impairment in the case of the simultaneous injection of insulin diazepam than it did with the administration of insulin alone.
3) The oral glucose tolerance test showed gross impairment when diazepam was given intraperitoneally.
4) In vitro experiments with rat diaphragms revealed that diazepam when added to medium significantly obstructed basal glucose uptake and inhibited the effects of insulin. This ability of diazepam to inhibit glucose metabolism in vitro was also seen in adipose tissue excized from rats, but its effect was smaller than the effect in the experiment with the diaphragm method. From the foregoing results, it was suggested that more attention should be paid to glucose intolerance in the long term clinical administration of diazepam.
