Effect of thyroid hormones on the levels of metabolic intermediates in diabetic rat liver

Experimental diabetes results in an inhibition of the glycolytic and lipogenic pathways in rat liver, while treatment of diabetic rats with T3 for four days increases the activity of a number of enzymes linked to lipogenesis. Hepatic metabolites were estimated in control (untreated), control + T3-treated, alloxan-diabetic and alloxan-diabetic + T3-treated rats. Diabetes resulted in the expected decrease in the content of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and an increase in the content of cyclic AMP and citrate, changes consistent with an inhibition of hepatic glycolysis. Treatment of diabetic rats with T3 did not reverse these changes. There was a marked accumulation of both acetyl CoA and citrate in the diabetic rat liver, which was of even greater magnitude in diabetic and in the T3-treated group. In addition, T3 treatment significantly increased the free CoA content of liver in both normal and diabetic groups. Of the parameters measured which influence lipogenesis, including long chain acyl CoA, the energy charge and redox state of the nicotinamide nucleotides, the raised hepatic citrate content correlated most closely with the known increase in lipogenesis in diabetic rats treated with T3 for a four day period.