Inhibition of AMP Deaminase Activity Does Not Improve Glucose Control in Rodent Models of Insulin Resistance or Diabetes

Inhibition of AMP deaminase (AMPD) holds the potential to elevate intracellular adenosine and AMP levels and, therefore, to augment adenosine signaling and activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). To test the latter hypothesis, novel AMPD pan inhibitors were synthesized and explored using a panel of in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models focusing on confirming AMPD inhibitory potency and the potential of AMPD inhibition to improve glucose control in vivo. Repeated dosing of selected inhibitors did not improve glucose control in insulin-resistant or diabetic rodent disease models. Mice with genetic deletion of the muscle-specific isoform Ampd1 did not show any favorable metabolic phenotype despite being challenged with high-fat diet feeding. Therefore, these results do not support the development of AMPD inhibitors for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.