Glycogen metabloism in the developing chick glycogen body: functional significance of the direct oxidative pathway.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, and glucose-6-phosphatase were quantitatively determined for the first time in glycogen body tissue from late embryonic and neonatal chicks. For comparative purposes, the activities of these enzymes were examined also in liver and skeletal muscle from pre- and post-hatched chicks. The present data show that both the embryonic and neonatal glycogen body lack glucose-6-phosphatase, but contain relatively high levels of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. The activity of each dehydrogenase in either embryonic or neonatal glycogen body tissue is two- to five-fold greater than that found in muscle or liver from pre- or post-hatched chicks. The relatively high activities observed for both dehydrogenases in the glycogen body, together with the absence of glucose-6-phosphatase activity in that tissue, suggest that the direct oxidative pathway (pentose phosphate cycle) of glucose metabolism is a functionally significant route for glycogen utilization in the glycogen body. It is hypothesized that the glycogen body is metabolically linked to lipid synthesis and myelin formation in the central nervous system of the avian embryo.     

Effect of a polysaccharide (TAP) from the fruiting bodies of Tremella aurantia on glucose metabolism in mouse liver

An acidic polysaccharide (TAP) obtained from the fruiting bodies of Tremella aurantia significantly increased the activities of glucokinase, hexokinase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and decreased the activity of glucose-6-phosphatase in normal and diabetic mouse liver after intraperitoneal administration, while the glycogen content in the liver was reduced. Furthermore, TAP lowered the plasma cholesterol level in normal and diabetic mice.     

Regulation of carbohydrate metabolism by indole-3-carbinol and its metabolite 3,3′-diindolylmethane in high-fat diet-induced C57BL/6J mice

Indole glucosinolates, present in cruciferous vegetables have been investigated for their putative pharmacological properties. The current study was designed to analyse whether the treatment of the indole glucosinolates—indole-3-carbinol (I3C) and its metabolite 3,3′-diindolylmethane (DIM) could alter the carbohydrate metabolism in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced C57BL/6J mice. The plasma glucose, insulin, haemoglobin (Hb), glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), glycogen and the activities of glycolytic enzyme (hexokinase), hepatic shunt enzyme (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase), gluconeogenic enzymes (glucose-6-phosphatase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase) were analysed in liver and kidney of the treated and HFD mice. Histopathological examination of liver and pancreases were also carried out. The HFD mice show increased glucose, insulin and HbA1c and decreased Hb and glycogen levels. The elevated activity of glucose-6-phosphatase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase and subsequent decline in the activity of glucokinase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase were seen in HFD mice. Among treatment groups, the mice administered with I3C and DIM, DIM shows decreased glucose, insulin and HbA1c and increased Hb and glycogen content in liver when compared to I3C, which was comparable with the standard drug metformin. The similar result was also obtained in case of carbohydrate metabolism enzymes; treatment with DIM positively regulates carbohydrate metabolic enzymes by inducing the activity of glucokinase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and suppressing the activity of glucose-6-phosphatase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase when compared to I3C, which were also supported by our histopathological observations.     

Activity of energy metabolism related enzymes in the myocardium and liver following administration of large doses of noradrenaline]

The activity of the glycolytic enzymes and of the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PDH) were compared with the content of noradrenaline in rat myocardium and the liver after the intraperitoneal injection of high doses of noradrenaline. It was shown that 24 hours after int noradrenaline injection which caused exhaustion of endogenous catecholamine supply, the lactate content and the activities of lactic dehydrogenase were increased in the myocardium; the activity of hexokinase and G-6-PDH in rat myocardium and the liver were also increased, whereas the glucokinase activity was decreased. In these experiments alterations of the enzyme activities were shown to be similar to the alterations in the dystrophic tissues in which the catecholamine content was sharply decreased. The role of the sympathetic nervous system and its mediators in the mechanism of the enzyme regulation of the energy metabolism in the myocardium and the liver is discussed.     

Effect of tangeretin,a polymethoxylated flavone on glucose metabolism in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

The present study was designed to evaluate the antihyperglycemic potential of tangeretin on the activities of key enzymes of carbohydrate and glycogen metabolism in control and streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. The daily oral administration of tangeretin (100 mg/kg body weight) to diabetic rats for 30 days resulted in a significant reduction in the levels of plasma glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and increase in the levels of insulin and hemoglobin. The altered activities of the key enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism such as hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphatase, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase in liver of diabetic rats were significantly reverted to near normal levels by the administration of tangeretin. Further, tangeretin administration to diabetic rats improved hepatic glycogen content suggesting the antihyperglycemic potential of tangeretin in diabetic rats. The effect produced by tangeretin on various parameters was comparable to that of glibenclamide – a standard oral hypoglycemic drug. Thus, these results show that tangeretin modulates the activities of hepatic enzymes via enhanced secretion of insulin and decreases the blood glucose in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats by its antioxidant potential.     

Increase of the gluconeogenic and decrease of the glycolytic capacity of rat liver with a change of the metabolic zonation after partial hepatectomy.

During the first 72 h after 67% partial hepatectomy of female Wistar rats (160 g) the specific activities [mumol X min-1 X (g liver)-1] of the glucogenic glucose-6-phosphatase and fructose-bisphosphatase and of the glycolytic hexokinase and 6-phosphofructokinase remained essentially constant. However, the activity of the glycolytic pyruvate kinase (L- plus M2-type) was decreased slightly and that of glucokinase was decreased markedly to below 30%, while the glucogenic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase was increased to over 200%. Between 10 and 40 h after partial hepatectomy, when the proliferation started in the periportal area, a shift of the glucogenic glucose-6-phosphatase-rich zone from its normal periportal to an intermediate or even perivenous position was observed histochemically. After 48 h, when the proliferation was no longer restricted to the periportal zone, the normal glucose-6-phosphatase zonation (as before partial hepatectomy) was restored. Glycogen was degraded rapidly during the first 4 h after operation; it was later repeatedly resynthesized and degraded in correlation with the feeding rhythm of the animals. The zonation of glycogen metabolism was in accord with the observed zonation of glucose-6-phosphatase.     

Effect of prolonged restraint on glycogen content and activities of four enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism in the liver of rats

Triphasic changes in glycogen content and activities of four enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism (glucose-6-phosphatase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, hexokinase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase) were studied in the liver of male Wistar rats exposed to 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, 60, 70 and 90-day movement restrain in pencil cases. It was assumed that these three phases corresponded to the alarm, resistance and exhaustion stages of Selye's general adaptation syndrome. In hypokinetic rats, however, a transition of the alarm reaction to the resistance stage was registered later, and hepatic glycogen accumulation was reduced in comparison with the standard pattern observed in chronic stress.     

Glycogen metabolism in the developing accessory lobes of Lachi in the nerve cord of the chick: metabolic correlations with the avian glycogen body

Glycogen synthase, glycogen phosphorylase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, and glucose-6-phosphatase were determined for the first time in the necessary lobes of Lachi from late embryonic chicks. The activities of these enzymes were compared with those found in other glycogen-metabolizing tissues, specifically the glycogen body, liver, and skeletal muscle, obtained from the same embryos. The data show that, as in the glycogen body, the accessory lobes of Lachi lack glucose-6-phosphatase, but contain relatively high activity levels of glycogen synthase I, total and active glycogen phosphorylase, and the dehydrogenases of glucose-6-phosphate and 6-phosphogluconate. The percent of glycogen synthase I activity in the Lachi lobes is from two- to 20-fold greater than observed in the glycogen body, liver, or muscle, whereas the percent of glycogen phosphorylase a activity is comparable to that of the liver, but greater than that in the glycogen body or muscle. The activity of each dehydrogenase of the pentose phosphate cycle in the Lachi lobes is similar to that noted in the glycogen body, but is over two- or fivefold greater than that activity found in muscle or liver. Our data, together with other recent evidence, suggest that the role of glycogen in these functionally enigmatic tissues may be to support the precocious process of myelin synthesis in the developing bird, as well as possibly to provide alternate sources of energy for the avian central nervous system.     

Changes in the glucose-6-phosphatase complex in hepatomas

Hepatomas tend to have a decreased glucose-6-phosphatase activity. We have observed phenotypic stability for this change in Morris hepatomas transplanted in rats. To determine if this decrease is selective for translocase functions or the hydrolase activity associated with glucose-6-phosphatase, we have compared activities in liver and hepatomas with glucose-6-phosphate or mannose-6-phosphate as substrates and with intact or histone-disrupted microsomes. In five out of seven subcutaneously transplanted rat hepatoma lines, the microsomal mannose-6-phosphatase activity was lower than in preparations from liver of normal or tumor-bearing rats. With liver microsomes and with most hepatoma microsomes, preincubation with calf thymus histones caused a greater increase in mannose-6-phosphatase than in glucose-6-phosphatase activity. In studies with liver and hepatoma microsomes there were similar increases in mannose-6-phosphatase activity with total calf thymus histones and arginine-rich histones. A smaller increase was seen with lysine-rich histones. The effect of polylysine was similar to the action of lysine-rich histones. There was only a small effect with protamine at the same concentration (1 mg/ml). Rat liver or hepatoma H1 histones gave only about half the activation seen with core nucleosomal histones. Our data suggested that microsomes of rat hepatomas tend to have decreased translocase and hydrolase functions of glucose-6-phosphatase relative to activities in untransformed liver. (Mol Cell Biochem122: 17–24, 1993)     

A kinetic analysis of glucokinase and glucose-6-P phosphatase in dictyostelium

Summary Using a mathematical model of carbohydrate metabolism in Dictyostelium discoideum, the kinetic expressions describing the activities of glucokinase and glucose-6-P phosphatase have been analyzed. The constraints on the kinetic mechanisms and relative activities of these two enzymes were investigated by comparing computer simulations to experimental data. The results indicated that, (1) glucose-6-P is compartmentalized with respect to the enzymes involved in glucose-6-P, trehalose and glycogen metabolism, (2) a differences of approximately 0.6 mm/min in maximum specific activity of glucokinase compared to glucose-6-P phosphatase is required in order for the model to produce end product carbohydrate levels consistent with those observed experimentally, (3) the Km of glucokinase for glucose strongly influences the steady state levels of glucose in the absence of external glucose, and (4) changing the order of product removal in the reaction catalyzed by glucose-6-P phosphatase influences the level of glycogen and trehalose.     

Efficacy of azelaic acid on hepatic key enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism in high fat diet induced type 2 diabetic mice

Azelaic acid (AzA), a C9 linear α,ω-dicarboxylic acid, is found in whole grains namely wheat, rye, barley, oat seeds and sorghum. The study was performed to investigate whether AzA exerts beneficial effect on hepatic key enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism in high fat diet (HFD) induced type 2 diabetic C57BL/6J mice. C57BL/6J mice were fed high fat diet for 10 weeks and subjected to intragastric administration of various doses (20 mg, 40 mg and 80 mg/kg BW) of AzA daily for the subsequent 5 weeks. Rosiglitazone (RSG) was used as reference drug. Body weight, food intake, plasma glucose, plasma insulin, blood haemoglobin (Hb), blood glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), liver glycolytic enzyme (hexokinase), hepatic shunt enzyme (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase), gluconeogenic enzymes(glucose-6-phosphatase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase), liver glycogen, plasma and liver triglycerides were examined in mice fed with normal standard diet (NC), high fat diet (HFD), HFD with AzA (HFD + AzA) and HFD with rosiglitazone (HFD + RSG). Among the three doses, 80 mg/kg BW of AzA was able to positively regulate plasma glucose, insulin, blood HbA1c and haemoglobin levels by significantly increasing the activity of hexokinase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and significantly decreasing the activity of glucose-6-phosphatase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase thereby increasing the glycogen content in the liver. From this study, we put forward that AzA could significantly restore the levels of plasma glucose, insulin, HbA1c, Hb, liver glycogen and carbohydrate metabolic key enzymes to near normal in diabetic mice and hence, AzA may be useful as a biomaterial in the development of therapeutic agents against high fat diet induced T2DM.     

Effect of dietary fiber from banana (Musa paradisiaca) on metabolism of carbohydrates in rats fed cholesterol free diet

Effect of feeding isolated dietary fiber from M. paradisiaca on the metabolism of carbohydrates in the liver has been studied. Fiber fed rats showed significantly lower levels of fasting blood glucose and higher concentration of liver glycogen. Activity of glycogen phosphorylase, glucose-1-phosphate, uridyl transferase and glycogen synthase was significantly higher while phosphoglucomutase activity showed lower activity. Activity of some glycolytic enzymes, viz. hexokinase and pyruvic kinase was lower. Glucose-6-phosphatase showed higher activity while fructose 1-6 diphosphatase activity was not affected. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase on the other hand showed higher activity. The changes in these enzyme activities have been attributed due to the effect of higher concentration of bile acids produced in the liver as a result of feeding fiber. Evidence for this has been obtained by studying the in vitro effect of cholic acid and chenodeoxy cholic acid.     

In vitro effects of mebendazole on the carbohydrate metabolism of Avitellina lahorea (Cestoda)

Mebendazole (3.3 mumol), causes in vitro glycogen depletion and inhibits glucose uptake in Avitellina lahorea. Inhibition of non-specific phosphomonoesterases and adenosine triphosphatase by mebendazole discussed in the light of the role of phosphatases in uptake mechanisms. Mebendazole has no effect on hexokinase which has broad substrate specificity but influences the activities of some glycolytic enzymes such as phosphorylase, phosphoglucomutase and glucose-6-phosphatase. Thus, it appears that mebendazole also acts to disrupt certain enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism which may ultimately cause death of the parasite.     

Glucokinase overexpression restores glucose utilization and storage in cultured hepatocytes from male Zucker diabetic fatty rats.

Zucker diabetic fatty rats develop type 2 diabetes concomitantly with peripheral insulin resistance. Hepatocytes from these rats and their control lean counterparts have been cultured, and a number of key parameters of glucose metabolism have been determined. Glucokinase activity was 4.5-fold lower in hepatocytes from diabetic rats than in hepatocytes from healthy ones. In contrast, hexokinase activity was about 2-fold higher in hepatocytes from diabetic animals than in healthy ones. Glucose-6-phosphatase activity was not significantly different. Despite the altered ratios of glucokinase to hexokinase activity, intracellular glucose 6-phosphate concentrations were similar in the two types of cells when they where incubated with 1-25 mM glucose. However, glycogen levels and glycogen synthase activity ratio were lower in hepatocytes from diabetic animals. Total pyruvate kinase activity and its activity ratio as well as fructose 2,6-bisphosphate concentration and lactate production were also lower in cells from diabetic animals. All of these data indicate that glucose metabolism is clearly impaired in hepatocytes from Zucker diabetic fatty rats. Glucokinase overexpression using adenovirus restored glucose metabolism in diabetic hepatocytes. In glucokinase-overexpressing cells, glucose 6-phosphate levels increased. Moreover, glycogen deposition was greatly enhanced due to the activation of glycogen synthase. Pyruvate kinase was also activated, and fructose-2,6-bisphosphate concentration and lactate production were increased in glucokinase-overexpressing diabetic hepatocytes. Overexpression of hexokinase I did not increase glycogen deposition. In conclusion, hepatocytes from Zucker diabetic fatty rats showed depressed glycogen and glycolytic metabolism, but glucokinase overexpression improved their glucose utilization and storage.     

Endocrine-metabolic relations in rats with genetic arterial hypertension

Levels of triiodothyronine, thyroxine, insulin, glucose and free fatty acids in the blood; contents of adrenaline, noradrenaline in adrenals and glycogen in the liver; activity of phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase in adrenals, hexokinase and glucose-6-phosphatase in the liver were studied in male Wistar rats and rats with inherited stress-induced arterial hypertension /ISIAH/. It was found that genetically caused rise of hypophyseal-thyroid systems activity in ISIAH-rats leads to a decrease of insulin blood level, activation of lipolysis and breach of glucose tolerance.     

Dietary carbohydrate effects on some plasma organic acids and aspects of glucose metabolism in turkey poults

The effects on newly-hatched turkey poults of feeding diets with varying levels of carbohydrate and of oral gavage with suspensions of corn starch were studied. Feeding lowered hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase activity and raised blood glucose and hepatic glycogen concentrations. In Nicholas strain turkeys, increases of dietary levels of carbohydrate enhanced hepatic glycogen stores without affecting blood glucose concentration or glucose-6-phosphatase activity. Oral gavage of poults with suspensions of corn starch in water raised blood glucose and hepatic glycogen concentrations and lowered glucose-6-phosphatase activity in dose- and time-dependent manners. Changes were noted at 1 hr post-gavage. Oral gavage with starch lowered lactate concentrations in muscle and plasma and lowered plasma concentrations of β-hydroxybutyrate and urate. Plasma concentrations of pyruvate appeared to decline with post-hatch holding without feed. Thus, the apparent effect of starch gavage on plasma pyruvate (high concentration) is dependent upon the length of the holding period for the controls. The data show that poults can alter their metabolism (decrease lipid oxidation and gluconeogenesis and increase carbohydrate stores) almost immediately (1 hr) after oral administration of carbohydrate.     

Depletion of glycogen synthetase and increase of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase in livers of ethionine-treated mice

1. Ethionine-treated mice showed a marked depletion in liver glycogen, a decrease of glycogen-synthetase activity, an increase in activity of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and the solubilization of phosphorylase. 2. The administration of cortisol or glucose did not alleviate these changes but the effect of ethionine was completely prevented in animals given methionine as well as ethionine. 3. The activities of the following enzymes were unchanged: hexokinase, glucokinase, glucose 6-phosphatase, phosphoglucomutase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, UDP-glucose dehydrogenase and pyruvate kinase.     

Antihyperglycemic effect of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Gongronema latifolium leaves on glucose and glycogen metabolism in livers of normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

The present study was designed to investigate the antihyperglycemic effects of aqueous and ethanolic extracts from Gongronema latifolium leaves on glucose and glycogen metabolism in livers of non-diabetic and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. To investigate the effects of aqueous or ethanolic leaf extracts of G. latifolium, non-diabetic and STZ diabetic rats were treated twice daily (100 mg/Kg) for two weeks. Diabetic rats showed a significant decrease in the activities of hepatic hexokinase (HK), phosphofructokinase (PFK) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and an increase in glucokinase (GK) activity. The levels of hepatic glycogen and glucose were also increased in diabetic rats. However, there were no significant differences in the activities of glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) in treated and untreated diabetic rats. The ethanolic extract significantly increased the activities of HK (p<0.01), PFK (p<0.001) and G6PDH (p<0.01) in diabetic rats, decreased the activity of GK (p<0.05) and the levels of hepatic glycogen (p<0.01) and both hepatic (p<0.001) and blood glucose (40%). The aqueous extract of G. latifolium was only able to significantly increase the activities of HK and decrease the activities of GK but did not produce any significant change in the hepatic glycogen and both hepatic and blood glucose content of diabetic rats. Our data show that the ethanolic extract from G. latifolium leaves has antihyperglycemic potency, which is thought to be mediated through the activation of HK, PFK, G6PDH and inhibition of GK in the liver. The ethanolic extract is under further investigation to determine the chemical structure of the active compound(s) and its/their mechanism of action.     

Hormonal imbalance and disturbances in carbohydrate metabolism associated with chronic feeding of high sucrose low magnesium diet in weanling male wistar rats

This study was designed to determine chronic effect of high sucrose low magnesium (HSLM) diet in weanling rats on plasma thyroid profile, catecholamines and activities of key hepatic glycolytic, and gluconeogenic enzymes. Compared to control diet fed group, significantly elevated levels of plasma triiodothyronine, tetraiodothyronine, catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine) and activity of hepatic glycolytic (hexokinase and glucokinase), and gluconeogenic (glucose-6-phosphatase) enzymes were observed in high sucrose and low magnesium fed groups. However, HSLM diet had an additive effect on all these three parameters. The study thus, assumes significance as it shows that hormonal imbalance and disorders in carbohydrate metabolism at an early stage of development can be due to dietary modification or due to deficiency of key element magnesium.     

The effects of growth hormone, thyroxine and insulin on the activities of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphatase and glycogen phosphorylase in fetal rat liver.

Growth hormone (GH), thyroxine (T4) and insulin were injected, in utero into 20.5 day-old rat fetuses to study the effects of these hormones on the activities of liver NADPH dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphatase and glycogen phosphorylase. It was found that at 21.5 days of gestation, GH increases the fetal liver glucose-6-phosphatase activity and decreases the liver glycogen phosphorylase activity. T4 treatment augments the activity of NADPH dehydrogenase even at 0.3% of the dose shown previously to produce premature elevation of activity. Prior to this experiment T4 in large doses has been shown to be capable of elevating glucose-6-phosphatase. However, at the lower T4 dose used, no treatment effect was observed. The fetal rat liver is responsive to insulin at 21.5 days and insulin was able to depress glucose-6-phosphatase activity. Thereby, showing that the influence of insulin on this enzyme begins prior to birth instead of just subsequent to birth.