STUDIES ON HORMONAL FACTORS INFLUENCING HEPATIC GLUCOSE-6-PHOSPHATASE1

Abstract

The effect of adrenalectomy, hypophysectomy and partial hepa-tectomy on hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase activity and blood sugar level was investigated in fed and fasted rats. Enzymatic data were expressed per unit wet weight, per average cell and per 100 g body weight (total available activity). Enzymatic changes were interpreted in the light of alterations in liver weight, liver/body weight ratio, liver cell-ularity and N content. In fed animals adrenalectomy or hypophysectomy caused a significant decrease in liver glucose-6-phosphatase activity on a per cell basis. In fasted animals hypophysectomy, but not adrenalectomy significantly decreased liver glucose-6-phosphatase activity. Partial hepatectomy or sham operation in hypophysectomized animals resulted in hypoglycemia and extremely low liver glucose-6-phosphatase values per unit wet weight and per average cell. The total available glucose-6-phosphatase activity was significantly decreased in both fed and fasted animals under the various experimental conditions. A parallelism between blood sugar and total available glucose-6-phosphatase activity can only be demonstrated in fasted animals under the experimental conditions reported here.