THE GLYCOGEN CONTENT OF HUMAN LEUKOCYTES IN HEALTH AND IN VARIOUS DISEASE STATES 1

Abstract

The glycogen content of human leukocytes has been measured by a modification of the anthrone method for quantitative determination of carbohydrates. The glycogen content per 1010 myeloid leukocytes in normal subjects was found to be 75.1[plus or minus]17.4 mg. Leukocyte glycogen remained relatively unchanged during the postprandial rise in blood sugar and in poorly controlled diabetes mellitus, and was only slightly low in the presence of massive cortisone therapy. Unit cell myeloid leukocyte glycogen in chronic myelocytic leukemia was on the avg. only 1/2 that in the leukocytes of normal subjects. In polycythemia vera with leukocytosis and/or leukemoid features unit cell myeloid leukocyte glycogen was well above normal. It also tended to be substantially above normal in the neutrophilic leukocytoses of infection. The data confirm previous observations that lymphocytes and blast cells either do not contain glycogen or are extremely low in glycogen content.