Hepatotrophic effects of insulin on glucose, glycogen, and adenine nucleotides in hepatocytes isolated from fed adult rats.

In vivo observations have suggested that there is an hepatotrophic effect of insulin. By contrast, subsequent in vitro work, using the isolated perfused liver system, showed no effect or indeterminate effects of insulin on the transport of glucose into the hepatocyte. However because this system may not have endured long enough to show such an influence we explored the transport of glucose using a 48-h suspension culture of hepatocytes isolated from young adult fed rats, the suspension being infused continuously with insulin at a rate approximating the maximum entering portal blood in the fed state.

Hepatotrophic effects of insulin on glucose, glycogen, and adenine nucleotides in hepatocytes isolated from fasted adult rats.

Previous evidence that portal blood insulin is an hepatotrophic factor led to this study of its effect on hepatocytes, isolated from fasted rats, in suspension culture. Control hepatocytes (C), noninsulin-treated, and those infused continuously at low (LI) and high (HI) levels of insulin were compared concurrently with regard to their survival, glucose transport, and intracellular concentrations of glucose, glycogen, and adenine nucleotides, over a 48-hr period of incubation. Low insulin was adjudged to be comparable to portal insulin concentrations in fasted animals and HI to those in fed animals.

Effects of hormones on the synthesis of alpha 1 (acute-phase) glycoprotein in isolated rat hepatocytes.

Hormone effects on the synthesis of alpha(1) (acute-phase) glycoprotein and of albumin by isolated rat hepatocytes in suspension were examined. Insulin, glucagon, cortisol, somatotropin (bovine growth hormone) and tri-iodothyronine were added to achieve physiological concentrations in the medium [Jeejeebhoy, Ho, Greenberg, Phillips, Bruce-Robertson & Sodtke (1975) Biochem. J.

Chromium deficiency, glucose intolerance, and neuropathy reversed by chromium supplementation, in a patient receiving long-term total parenteral nutrition.

A white female, now age 40 and receiving total parenteral nutrition for more than 5 years, developed unexpected 15% weight loss after 3 1/2 years of regimen, together with peripheral neuropathy confirmed by nerve conduction measurements. An intravenous glucose tolerance test showed that the fractional rate (K) had decreased to 0.89%/min (normal greater than 1.