CHANGES OF THE LEVELS OF BLOOD GLUCOSE DURING PREGNANCY IN THE RAT

Abstract

The increased utilization of lipids during pregnancy, expressed as an increase of lipids concentration in the blood, liver and kidney as well as a decrease of depot fat, has been demonstrated by Boyd (1), Mckay (2) and Scow et al. (3). The hypoglycemic response of the fasted pregnant rats associated with the appearance of ketosis has also been shown by Scow et al. (3). Appart from these metabolic changes during pregnancy, Garner et al. (4) have reported that the level of blood glucose is lower in the rat fed a high-fat diet than in the rat fed a high-carbohydrate diet. These findings allow the assumption that the utilization of glycogen is preceded that of lipids during the fasting by the mechanism of depressed glucose utilization, and permit elucidation of the interaction between glucose and lipid metabolism. In the present experiments, the influences of pregnancy on the carbohydrate metabolism were observed as changes of the level of blood glucose and tissue glycogen during pregnancy as well as after delivery. The mode of glycogen utilization at the various term of pregnancy and postparturition was investigated by means of the glucose tolerance test. Furthermore, the effects of lipid feeding on the level of blood glucose during pregnancy and after delivery were studied in the rats fed a high-fat diet.