The Effect of Sodium Chloride Upon the Disposition of Injected Glucose in a Strain of Rats

Abstract

The effect of sodium chloride on the disposition of intraperitoneally injected glucose has been studied in a strain of rats having a low tolerance to glucose. Sodium chloride (0.85%) given with the glucose improves the tolerance of these rats, but has no significant effect upon the peritoneal absorption or renal excretion of the glucose. The administration of sodium chloride with glucose favors the deposition of glycogen in both the liver and the rest of the carcass, simultaneously decreasing the “free” sugar in the blood and tissues. The transformation (oxidation, conversion to fat, etc.) of glucose also appears to be significantly decreased to a normal level. It appears that sodium chloride improves the low tolerance to glucose of the “Yale” strain of rats primarily by increasing the storage of the administered glucose as glycogen.