Twenty-four-hour-fasted rats were given glucose (4 g/kg) by gavage. Glucose absorption and portal and peripheral plasma glucose, lactate, and insulin concentrations, as well as liver glucose, UDPglucose, glucose-6-P, lactate, ATP, and inorganic phosphate (Pi), and % glycogen synthase I and % phosphorylase a were measured at 10, 20, 30, 40, 60, and 120 min after the glucose was given. Liver and muscle glycogen also were measured. Ninety-one percent of the glucose load had disappeared from the gut in 2 h. Despite increased plasma glucose and insulin levels the liver continued to produce glucose. Lactate produced in the periphery was the major substrate for gluconeogenesis, and lactate utilization could account for the hepatic glycogen synthesized. Glucose ingestion did not affect lactate production by the splanchnic bed. In the liver glucose-6-P was transiently increased; UDP glucose decreased after glucose administration. ATP and Pi were unchanged. Glycogen synthase was activated by 20 min without a significant change in phosphorylase a. Hepatic glycogen increased linearly after 20 min. Total glucose storage as glycogen was similar in liver (20%) and muscle (19%). We could account for 41% of the glucose absorbed as glycogen, unmetabolized glucose, or glucose metabolites. Most of the remainder probably was oxidized.

Twenty-four-hour-fasted rats were given fructose (4 g/kg) by gavage. Fructose absorption and the portal vein, aorta, and hepatic vein plasma fructose, glucose, lactate, and insulin concentrations as well as liver fructose and fructose 1-P, glucose, glucose 6-P, UDPglucose, lactate, pyruvate, ATP, ADP, AMP, inorganic phosphate (Pi), cAMP, and Mg2+, and glycogen synthase I and phosphorylase alpha were measured at 10, 20, 30, 40, 60 and 120 min after gavage. Liver and muscle glycogen and serum uric acid and triglycerides also were measured. Fifty-nine percent of the fructose was absorbed in 2 h. There were modest increases in plasma and hepatic fructose, glucose, and lactate and in plasma insulin. Concentrations in the portal vein, aorta, and hepatic vein plasma indicate rapid removal of fructose and lactate by the liver and a modest increase in production of glucose. The source of the increase in plasma lactate is uncertain. Hepatic glucose 6-P increased twofold; UDPglucose rose transiently and then decreased below the control level. Fructose 1-P increased linearly to a concentration of 3.3 mumol/g wet wt by 120 min. There was no change in ATP, ADP, AMP, cAMP, Pi, or Mg2+. Serum triglycerides and uric acid were unchanged. Glycogen synthase was activated by 20 min without a change in phosphorylase alpha. This occurred with a fructose dose that did not significantly increase either the liver glucose or fructose concentrations. Liver glycogen increased linearly after 20 min, and glycogen storage was equal in liver (38.4%) and muscle (36.5%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The effect of intravenous epinephrine on heart glycogen synthase and phosphorylase systems in control and insulin-pretreated rats was studied. The percent of synthase in the I form decreased rapidly after epinephrine treatment but the change was small and sometimes not significant. In insulin-pretreated rats in which the percent synthase I was increased, epinephrine produced a definate and highly significant decrease. There was a simultaneous increase in percent phosphorylase a in both groups. The synthase and phosphorylase responses were statiscally significant at 2.5 mug epinephrine/kgor more. These data are compatible with a mechanism in which protein kinase is activated by an increased cAMP concentration and affects both the synthase and phosphorylasesystems simultaneously. Propranolol blocked the epinephrine effects on cAMP, synthase I, and phosphorylase a. Although insulin had little effect on the response ofthe synthase and phosphorylase systems to epinephrine, it nealry completely blocked glycogen degradation. The mechanism is unknown, but it appears to be due to an inhibition of phosphorylase a catalytic activity in vivo. Acetylcholine had no effect on synthase I, phosphorylase a, or cAMP in control or in insulin-pretreated animals.

Methods for obtaining and processing rat liver for determination of glycogen phosphorylase a and synthase I activity were studied. An extremely rapid and profound increase in phosphorylase was induced by hypoxia. The effect on synthase I was slower and less striking. Using alpha- and beta-adrenergic antagonists, a catecholamine-depleting agent, and a ganglionic blocking agent, it was determined that adrenergic stimulation secondary to the surgical procedure required to obtain the liver was not a significant factor. The anesthetic agent used also had a significant effect on the proportion of phosphorylase in the a form. Seconal anesthesia resulted in lower phosphorylase a levels than did ether or urethan anesthesia.

Glucose causes a rapid increase in the proportion (%) of glycogen synthase in the active (I) form and a rapid decrease in the proportion of phosphorylase in the active (a) form in both fed and fasted rats. The changes in synthase I and phosphorylase a are more rapid in fasted animals. With graded doses of glucose, the maximal decrease in phosphorylase a occurred at a dose that was considerably smaller than that required to maximally stimulate an increase in % synthase I. Thus, in the intact animal a dissociation between the effects of glucose on the synthase and phosphorylase systems was observed. Sorbitol, mannose, galactose, and arabinose all stimulated an increase in synthase I but did not significantly affect the proportion of phosphorylase in the a form. The % synthase I was not significantly affected by a number of other glucose homologues, pentoses, or three-carbon gluconeogenic substrates. The ketoses fructose and mannoheptulose both caused a striking increase in % phosphorylase a and a decrease in % synthase I, i.e., results opposite to those of glucose. The mechanism by which fructose induces these changes is not known, but the mannoheptulose effects may be accounted for by a rise in liver cAMP concentration.