Mechanism of insulin action on resting membrane potential of frog skeletal muscle.

At a concentration that stimulates the Na pump, insulin hyperpolarizes the plasma membrane of frog sartorius in the presence of substrate-free Ringer. The hyperpolarization ranged from 3.5 to 7.3 mV and averaged 4.7 mV. Ouabain, 10(-4) M, completely blocked the effect of insulin on the membrane potential. Moreover, ouabain completely reversed the insulin-induced hyperpolarization within 20 min. The hyperpolarization produced by insulin was not associated with a detectable increase in the ratio of K+ permeability to Na+ permeability nor with a detectable increase in the concentration of intracellular K+, although a depletion of K+ near the external surface of the membrane cannot be excluded. The results clearly indicate that the hyperpolarization is secondary to stimulation of the Na pump by insulin.