Hepatocytes of cirrhotic rat liver accumulate glycogen more slowly than normal ones.

Purpose: To investigate the accumulation of glycogen in cirrhotic rat liver at several time intervals after per os administration of glucose to fasted animals.

Methods: Liver cirrhosis was produced by inhalation of the hepatotropic poison CCl4. Glycogen concentration in the liver was determined biochemically. Glycogen content in hepatocytes was measured cytofluorimetrically in the smears stained with a fluorescent PAS reaction. Glycogen content in the hepatocytes of the portal and the central zone of the liver lobule was determined by absorption cytophotometry.

Results: Rats poisoned with CCl4 for 6 months developed typical liver cirrhosis characterized by a fourfold (p < 0.001) increase in the proportion of the connective tissue. In the cirrhotic rats fasted for 48 h, glycogen concentration in the liver and glycogen content in hepatocytes were lower as compared with the control by 36 and 27 % (p < 0.01), respectively. According to data obtained by different methods, the control animals accumulated glycogen at a high rate. In particular, the glycogen content in hepatocytes increased by 34 % after 10 min (p < 0.01). In the cirrhotic rats, glycogen content remained at the same level for 20 min. In both groups of animals, hepatocytes of the portal zone accumulated more glycogen than those of the central zone.

Conclusions: Glycogen accumulation in cirrhotic rats starts after a delay and proceeds at a lower rate than in the norm.