ADRENAL CORTICAL REGULATION OF HEPATTC GLUCOSE METABOLISM1

In order to further study the role of adrenal cortical steroids on the regulation of hepatic glucose metabolism, liver slices from normal, alloxan-diabetic, adrenalectomized, adrenalectomized diabetic and hydrocortisone treated rats were incubated with differentially labeled C14 glucose and fructose. From such studies the rate of glucose phosphorylation and the metabolism of glucose via the phosphogluconate oxidation pathway have been calculated. Our results would indicate that the adrenal cortical steroids effect neither of these functions. The only effects observed were those of increased gluconeogenesis and decreased lipogenesis. THE role of adrenal cortical hormones in the regulation of hepatic carbohydrate metabolism has been widely studied from the standpoint of gluconeogenesis and glycogen deposition. Many of the alterations in hepatic carbohydrate metabolism observed in diabetes are returned toward normal following adrenalectomy (1). Specifically these include a reduction in gluconeogenesis and in glucose-6-phosphatase activity and an increase in lipogenesis (2, 3). However, relatively little is known of the influence of glucocorticoids on glucosephosphorylation and pathways of glucose-6-phosphate metabolism.