A. Yu. Chestnova,1 N.N. Bezborodkina,1 N.M. Matyukhina,1,2 B.N. Kudryavtsev 1
1 Institute of Cytology RAS and 2 V. A. Almazov Federal Heart, Blood and Endocrinology Centre, St. Petersburg;
* e-mail: chestnova.anna@gmail.com
The content and structure of glycogen in hepatocytes of normal and cirrhotic rat liver has been studied at
definite time intervals after the administration of glucose to starving animals. In the study, an original cytofluorimetric
method for detection and quatification of proglycogen (PG) and macroglycogen (MG) content in isolated
hepatocytes was applied. This method is based on using Schiff reagents with different spectral characteristics.
It has been determined that the content MG content in the hepatocytes of control rats increases in 10 min
after initiation of glycogenesis by 52 % (Ð < 0.01). MG content in the cells of cirrhotic liver increased only after
20 min (43 %, Ð < 0.05) after glucose administration to starving animals. The coefficient of correlation between
MG content and the total glycogen content in the hepatocytes at different stages of glycogenesis ranged from
0.90 to 0.99 (Ð < 0.001) in both groups of rats. Increase in PG content in hepatocytes of control rats appeared
within 10—30 and 45—70 min. In the case of cirrhosis PG content increased only 60 min after the start of glycogenesis,
but after 120 min it was 1.5 times higher than the control values (Ð < 0.001). The correlation coefficient
between the PG and the total glycogen content in rat liver cells averaged 0.86 (Ð < 0.001) and 0.77
(Ð < 0.001) in control and experimental groups, respectively. Thus, the change in total glycogen content in hepatocytes
of normal and cirrhotic liver is associated mainly with the level of MG. In normal cells, contribution
of PG is most significant in the early glycogenesis (10—30 min), and in the cirrhotic liver—in the later stages.
Key words:
proglycogen, macroglycogen, hepatocytes, synthesis of glycogen, liver cirrhosis, glucose
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