Abstract
The following studies of glycogen formation and glucose absorption have been carried out in the hope of partially elucidating the phenomena of abnormally low glycogen levels in the fasting hypophysectomized rat.
In these experiments the control rats were between 45 and 54 days of age at the time of sacrifice. The hypophysectomized† rats were of a similar age group at operation and were sacrificed 25 to 30 days after operation; those upon which glycogen determinations were done were sacrificed 21 to 23 days after operation. Glucose absorption was determined by the method of Cori 1 after feeding approximately 2 1/2 cc. of a 35% solution of glucose. Previous to the experiment all rats were fasted for 24 hours in cages provided with wire screen bottoms. Tissues for glycogen determination were removed under amytal anaesthesia and glycogen determined by the cold KOH method of Cori. 2 Liver glycogen figures are for fermentable reducing substances; muscle glycogen figures are the average of duplicate determinations of both gastrocnemius muscles and represent total reducing substances. All glucose determinations were done by the Shaffer-Somogyi 3 method.
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