ALLOXAN-DIABETES AND LIVER GLYCOGEN

Abstract A decrease in the glycogen content of the diabetic liver is often considered to be the direct result of the diabetic disturbance in metabolism, caused either by an increased glycogenolysis or by a decreased ability to synthesize glycogen. In previous experiments [Tuerkischer & Wertheimer, 1946] it was observed that the livers of alloxandiabetic rats and of pair-fed, normal rats contained equal amounts of glycogen. The liver glycogen of alloxan-diabetic rats starved for 24 hr. was actually considerably higher than that of normal, control rats, a fact also reported shortly thereafter by Weber [1946]. Additional burdening of the carbohydrate metabolism with complete exhaustion of the carbohydrate reserves (by phloridzin or swimming) caused increased glycogenesis in the diabetic rat, starved for 24 hr., with an increased deposition of glycogen in the liver. This increase in liver glycogen was only found in non-comatose, alloxan-diabetic rats. It was therefore assumed that the decrease in