Dietary Supplementation with Exogenous Sea-Cucumber-Derived Ceramides and Glucosylceramides Alleviates Insulin Resistance in High-Fructose-Diet-Fed Rats by Upregulating the IRS/PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway

Endogenous ceramide is considered to be associated with the progress of insulin resistance. However, the effects of dietary exogenous glucosylceramides and ceramides on insulin resistance are unclear. A model of fructose-induced male Sprague Dawley rats was used to compare the effects of sea-cucumber-derived glucosylceramides and ceramides on insulin resistance. Both glucosylceramides and ceramides significantly improved glucose tolerance, reduced the concentrations of serum glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin, and alleviated the accompanied hypertension. Ceramides significantly enhanced glycogen levels in skeletal muscle, whereas glucosylceramides significantly increased the hepatic glycogen levels. Moreover, glucosylceramides alleviated insulin resistance by inhibiting gluconeogenesis, promoting glycogen synthesis and insulin signal transduction in the liver; meanwhile, ceramides were mainly due to the promotion of glycogen synthesis and insulin signal transduction in skeletal muscle. Additionally, glucosylceramides and ceramides effectively attenuated inflammation in adipose tissue. These results indicate that glucosylceramides and ceramides have potential value in the prevention and alleviation of insulin resistance.