Glucostat capacity and metabolic zonation in rat liver after portocaval anastomosis

The activities and zonal distribution of key enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism were studied in livers of rats after end-to-side portocaval anastomosis. Sham-operated control animals with the same periods of interruption of hepatic blood supply as the shunted animals were pair-fed. The following alterations were observed: Food uptake was reduced to about 20% at the first postoperational day; it was then increased continuously to about 70% at day 8. Body weight, after a small 10% postoperational decrease, remained unaltered, but liver weight was lowered to 55% at day 8 and then stayed constant. The total glycogen reserves of the liver (g X 100 g body weight-1) were reduced, after a transient fall to about 10% at day 1-4, to about 25%. The total activity of the glucogenic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (mumol . min-1 X 100 g body weight-1) was diminished, after a transient increase to 190% and 150% at day 1 and 2 respectively, to about 55% from day 8 onwards. The total activity of the glucogenic glucose-6-phosphatase was lowered without a transient rise to about 30%. The total activities of the glycolytic pyruvate kinase isoenzyme L and glucokinase were decreased continuously to about 40% at day 8; that of the citrate cycle enzyme succinate dehydrogenase was lowered parallel with liver weight to 55%. The transient decrease of the glycogen reserves and the intermediate increase of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase capacity were due to the operational stress, since they were observed also in the sham-operated control animals. All other alterations, the decrease of liver weight and of the capacities of both gluconeogenic and glycolytic key enzymes, were specific for the portocaval anastomosis. The normal periportal to perivenous gradient of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase of about 3.5:1, as measured in microdissected tissue samples, remained the same with specific activities reduced to about 80% each in the two zones. The normal periportal to perivenous gradient of pyruvate kinase L of about 1:1.7 was equalized with levels lowered to 35% and 23%, respectively, in the two zones. The normal periportal to perivenous gradients of glucose-6-phosphatase and succinate dehydrogenase, demonstrated histochemically, were essentially maintained with perivenous bridging occurring transiently at day 4 and 8.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Stearyl-CoA desaturation capacity of the rat liver during regeneration after partial hepatectomy

• 1.1. Stearyl-CoA desaturase activity was measured in microsomes isolated from regenerating rat liver over a period of 11 days.
• 2.2. The stearyl-CoA desaturation capacity of the liver recovered by the fourth day after partial hepatectomy.
• 3.3. Return to normal enzyme activity coincided with the normalization of the ratio between stearic and oleic acids in microsomes.

     

Increase of transferrin receptors in regenerating rat liver cells after partial hepatectomy

The change of transferrin receptors in regenerating rat liver cells after partial hepatectomy was demonstrated. The binding of 125I-labeled transferrin to the cells began to increase after 24 h of partial hepatectomy and reached about double that of the non-operated normal rat liver cells. A Scatchard analysis of binding parameters showed 1.62 X 10(5) (Ka: 1.04 X 10(7) M-1) in normal cells and 3.36 X 10(5) (Ka: 1.23 X 10(7) M-1) in regenerating cells. This reflected on increase of transferrin receptor number and little change occurred in the binding affinity between transferrin and its surface receptor.     

Ploidy class-dependent metabolic changes in rat hepatocytes after partial hepatectomy

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity and the single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) content of isolated hepatocytes of different ploidy classes from adult male rats have been studied after partial hepatectomy using quantitative cytochemical means. The SDH activity and ssRNA content in all classes of hepatocytes are decreased during the first hours after operation followed by an increase above control values. The increase of both SDH activity and ssRNA content is significant only in the mononuclear diploid (MD) cells but not in the hepatocytes of higher ploidy classes and is related with the mitotic wave at 32 h after hepatectomy. After the mitotic wave, the values quickly return to normal levels. The G6PDH activity does not show any significant change in hepatocytes other than MD cells. In MD cells the G6PDH activity is elevated on a highly significant level up to a maximum value of 3.5 times the control value at 48 h after operation. The G6PDH activity in MD cells is returned to normal values within 14 days after operation. It is concluded that: 1. The MD cells show a distinct metabolic behaviour due to their function as stem cells of liver parenchyma and retain at least some of their fetal characteristics. 2. G6PDH activity is not a transformation-linked discriminant for neoplastic metabolism.     

Effects of protein-deprivation on the regeneration of rat liver after partial hepatectomy.

Rats maintained on a protein-free diet for 3 days have an altered time course of hepatic DNA synthesis during liver regeneration. The delay in DNA synthesis is eliminated by the administration of casein hydrolysate (given as late as 6h after partial hepatectomy), but not by glucose or incomplete amino acid mixtures. Despite the change in the timing of DNA synthesis, the increases in hepatic amino acid pools, which take place at the earliest stages of the regenerative process, occur in a normal pattern in the regenerating liver of rats fed the protein-free diet. Protein-deprived rats have increased protein synthesis and decreased rates of protein degradation in the liver in response to partial hepatectomy, but these adaptations do not prevent a lag in protein accumulation and low protein/RNA ratios. The regenerating livers of these animals show a deficit in the accumulation of cytoplasmic polyadenylated mRNA as well as a smaller proportion of free polyribosomes. It is suggested that the deficit in free polyribosomes found in the regenerating liver of protein-deprived rats might be a consequence of the slow accumulation of mRNA species coding for intracellular proteins.     

The metabolic zonation of glycogen synthesis in rat liver after fasting and refeeding.

The quantitative analysis of total glycogen and two fractions of the glycogen content was made by means of cytophotometry in hepatocytes with respect to the portal and central zones of the liver lobule after 48 hr starvation and 15, 30, 60, 120 min after refeeding using the Magiscan image analyzer. It was shown that glycogen content was minimal after 48 hr starvation, although a few cells of the central zone contained a noticeable glycogen quantity. Glycogen synthesis initiation was observed after 15 min refeeding. Glycogen synthesis has been characterized by an increasing glycogen content in the portal zone of the liver lobule compared to the pericentral zone, and this difference increased with time. The distinctive morphological changes were observed in the total glycogen content as well as fractions with different optical density in the process of glycogen synthesis after starvation of rats.     

Distribution of pteroylglutamates in rat liver during regeneration after partial hepatectomy.

1. Liver pteroylpolyglutamate distribution was studied during regeneration after partial hepatectomy in rats maintained under controlled feeding conditions. 2. Pteroylhexaglutamate, pteroylpentaglutamate and pteroyltetraglutamate concentrations decrease from 12 to 72 h after operation, then increase and reach normal values at 180 h. Pteroyltriglutamate concentration, already high at 12 h, remains so in the subsequent periods. Pteroyldiglutamate concentration was unchanged. Monoglutamate concentrations at first decrease, and at 180 h exceed normal values. 3. The decrease in polyglutamate derivatives with a high number of glutamate residues, at present considered to be the coenzyme forms of folate, could be related not to a decreased synthesis, but to a greater requirement for these compounds during the early periods of regeneration, when biosynthetic processes are markedly increased. It is indeed probable that the increased availability of the preferred substrate of pteroylpolyglutamate synthetase, i.e. tetrahydrofolate, enhances conversion of folate into coenzyme forms.     

Dynamics of Hlo content in rat liver after partial hepatectomy

• 1.1. The changes in the lysine-rich histone subfraction hl₀ have been quantitatively studied in rat liver during the regeneration period after partial hepatectomy.
• 2.2. A gradual decrease in this protein was found early after operation with a minimal value around the time of maximal mitotic activity.
• 3.3. The reduction in the hl₀ content paralleled well the increasing number 0f cells in the cell cycle.

     

Folate metabolism in the rat liver during regeneration after partial hepatectomy

1. Folate metabolism was studied during the early phases of liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy in rats accustomed to eating during the first 8h of a daily 12h dark period. 2. The content of 5-CH(3)-H(4)folate was drastically decreased during the first hours of regeneration. 3. The total HCO-H(4)folate coenzymes showed a constant decrease during the first 3 days of regeneration, and a continuous interconversion between 5-HCO-H(4)folate and 10-HCO-H(4)folate. 4. 10-HCO-H(4)folate synthetase, serine hydroxymethyl-transferase and 5,10-CH(2)-H(4)folate dehydrogenase activities were relatively low during the first hours after the operation, and increased only several hours later. 5. The increase in enzyme activities showed a stepwise pattern, apparently due to an interaction between the regeneration process and the controlled feeding schedules.     

Ketone-body metabolism after partial hepatectomy in the rat.

Fed or 24 h-starved rats were subjected to two-thirds partial hepatectomy or sham-operation and subsequently starved for 4, 14 or 24 h. Despite high plasma fatty acid concentrations, the partially hepatectomized rats failed to respond to post-operative starvation with increased blood and liver ketone-body concentrations or to maintain the high ketone-body concentrations associated with pre-operative starvation. Hypoglycaemia and hyperlactaemia were observed within 30 min of functional hepatectomy, but not partial hepatectomy, of 24 h-starved rats, and, even after a further 24 h starvation of partially hepatectomized rats, blood glucose concentrations were only slightly decreased. The results are discussed with reference to fat oxidation and gluconeogenesis in the liver remaining after partial hepatectomy.     

Properties of activated chromatin from rat liver shortly after partial hepatectomy

The properties of rat liver chromatin 1, 2 and 6 hours after partial hepatectomy have been studied by means of cytochemical and biochemical methods. An increase in the accessibility of DNA to low molecular weight ligands, RNA--polymerase and RNAse I and also of the distances between nucleosomes and their heterogeneity in length on electron -- microscopic photographs has been found. Analysis of the isotherms of adsorption has revealed an increase in the number of binding sites for ethidium bromide on DNA and accordingly a decrease in the extent of the filling of the template with protein in activated chromatin. Two hours after partial hepatectomy rat liver chromatin does not differ in all parameters studied from control chromatin. Limited digestion of chromatin with DNAse I almost fully eliminates the difference between the fractions of activated and control chromatin in the number of binding sites for the ligands to the fractions resistent in these conditions to nuclease. A suggestion that the changes in the properties of chromatin upon activation are due to the change in the character of chromatin proteins interaction with DNA are discussed.