Abstract
The insulinomimetic activities of Zn(II) complexes with various kinds of organic compounds in rat adipocytes treated with epinephrine in terms of inhibition of free fatty acid release have been studied. For the in vitro mechanism, such Zn(II) complexes have been revealed to act exclusively on the glucose transporter (GLUT 4) of the cells. Also, the improvement of glucose tolerance for KK-A^y mice with type 2 diabetes mellitus was obtained by i.p. administrations of Zn(II) complexes, following the finding of in vitro insulinomimetic activity. Furthermore, we found that the complex formation between Zn^<2+> ion and organic compounds reduced the toxicity of Zn^<2+> ion.
