Tissue Glycogen Storage as Affected by Acetoacetate

Abstract

Female albino rats were given daily injns. of 100 mg./kg. body wt. the 1st week and an increase of 20 mg./kg/wk. for 21 wks. Controls received an equivalent amt. of propionate or stock diet. Similar glycogen values were obtained on livers and leg muscles of the 3 groups of animals. Prolonged saline or glucose injns. ultimately produced the same fasting blood sugar levels and glucose tolerances as did the propionate and acetoacetate. Portions of surviving diaphragms from normal rats were incubated in a glucose-containing buffer mixture. The glycogen promoting action of 0.05 unit/ml. of insulin was not inhibited by 50 mg. % of acetoacetate. Liver slices from similar animals were incubated in buffers containing 50 or 125 mg. % of acetoacetate with no glucose. The only change in the rate of glycogenolysis was a marked depression when glucose was added to the acetoacetate-containing buffer. Acetoacetate does not appear to inactivate insulin, inhibit the storage of glycogen in the liver or muscle or affect appreciably the utilization of carbohydrate as measured by the glucose tolerance.