Abstract
Eighteen perfusions, 4 using cats and 14 using dogs, have yielded essentially negative results. These animals were fed on XXXX cream for periods extending up to 30 days. The livers were placed on a weighing scale in an incubator kept at 37.5° C. Thirteen perfusions were single, that is, blood was perfused through the portal vein only. Five were double, that is, blood was perfused both through the portal vein and the hepatic artery.
The exclusive fat diet did not remove all the glycogen from such livers, many of which showed a normal glycogen content. The percentages of glycogen and free sugar of the various lobes in each liver showed marked differences.
In such perfusion systems the true blood sugar, blood non-fermentable reducing substance, urea and ammonia nitrogen and lactic acid all increased. Both the liver glycogen and free sugar showed substantially lower values at the close of the perfusions. The blood fatty acids were constant.
In one experiment the total carbohydrate of the perfusion system increased; in 4 a decrease occurred; the rest were unaltered. The 5 double perfusions showed a marked constancy of the total carbohydrate content, all values at the close of the perfusion being within 7% of the initial value. The total fatty acids were fairly constant, 2 experiments showing an increase and 5 a reduction.
The data obtained do not substantiate the hypothesis that carbohydrate is produced at the expense of fat.
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