On Glycogen in the Liver Cells of Rat after Feeding them with Non-protein Food and its Significance

Abstract

In the liver cells of rats fed with non-protein food for 30 days, glycogen did not increase much even immediately after feeding. Solely from this result it would be considered that a hypofunction of the liver cells was caused by the lack of protein in the cells. But in a previous pager it was shown that the epithel of the rat's duodenum, when treated in the same way, fell into a hypofunction or a atrophic degeneration. Therefore the author infused glucose solution into the peritoneal cavity of rats, which were fed with non-protein food for 30 days and found that a large amount of glycogen appeared in the liver cells. Consequently the decrease of glycogen in the liver cells was caused not only by the hypofunction of liver cells, but also by the hypofunction or by an absorptive disturbance of the small intestine.