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Contribution of net hepatic glycogen synthesis to disposal of an oral glucose load in humans.

The contribution of hepatic glycogen synthesis to whole body glucose disposal after an oral glucose load was examined using (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to measure liver glycogen content in healthy, volunteers after an overnight fast. In group 1 (n = 14), hepatic glycogen synthesis was measured using (13)C-NMR spectroscopy for 240 minutes after ingestion of 98 +/- 1 g glucose. Liver volumes were measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). To assess the direct (glucose --> glucose-6-P --> glucose-1-P --> uridine diphosphate (UDP)-glucose --> glycogen) and indirect (3-carbon units --> --> glycogen) pathways of liver glycogen synthesis, group 2 (n = 6) was studied with an identical glucose load enriched with [1-(13)C]glucose along with acetaminophen to noninvasively assess the (13)C enrichment in hepatic UDP-glucose. The fasting hepatic glycogen content was 305 +/- 17 mmol/L liver, and the liver volume was 1.46 +/- 0.07 L. For the initial 180 minutes after ingestion of glucose, hepatic glycogen concentrations increased linearly (r =.94, P =.0006) achieving a maximum concentration of 390 +/- 7 mmol/L liver and then remained constant until the end of the study. The mean maximum rate of net hepatic glycogen synthesis was 0.48 +/- 0.07 mmol/L liver-minute. Total liver glycogen synthesis could account for 16.7 +/- 3.8 g (17% +/- 4%) of the glucose ingested, and of this, 10.5 +/- 2.4 g (63% +/- 7%) was synthesized by the direct pathway. In conclusion, after ingestion of 98 g of glucose: (1) 16.7 +/- 3.8 g (17% +/- 4%) glucose was stored in the liver as glycogen, and (2) 63% +/- 7% (10.5 +/- 2.4 g) of this glycogen was formed via the direct pathway.

Adult↗

[Effect of insulin on retinal glycogen content].

BACKGROUND: The effect of insulin on glucose and glycogen metabolism in peripheral organs is well known. However, information about the action of this peptide in the retina is incomplete. We addressed the questions whether insulin influences glycogen content in the cat retina and whether glycogen breakdown is triggered by lack of glucose. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eyes from adult cats were enucleated under deep barbiturate and fentanylanesthesia. Retinas were snap frozen either before or following arterial in vitro perfusion. Three conditions were studied: a) Perfusion with a glucose- and insulin-free medium; b) perfusion with the addition of physiologic glucose concentration; and c) in combination with insulin. Glycogen content was determined by in vitro measurement of glucose converted from glycogen. RESULTS: The reference value for retinal glycogen after enucleation (10 min of ischemia) is 2.4 micrograms glucose/mg protein. Glucose- and insulin-free perfusion for 80 min following "normoglycemia" reduced the amount of retinal glycogen by one third. Perfusion for 3 h with 5.5 mM glucose led to a small increase of the partly depleted glycogen stores. Insulin, in contrast, markedly augmented the glycogen content. CONCLUSIONS: Insulin led to an increase in retinal glycogen content, indicating an influence of this peptide on retinal glucose and glycogen metabolism. However, it appears that glycogen might play a dynamic role in retinal metabolism as a buffer between abrupt changes in focal metabolic demands that occur during normal glucose supply rather than acting solely as an emergency energy reserve for neural function during hypoglycemia.

Animals↗

Nuclear assembly with lambda DNA in fractionated Xenopus egg extracts: an unexpected role for glycogen in formation of a higher order chromatin intermediate.

Crude extracts of Xenopus eggs are capable of nuclear assembly around chromatin templates or even around protein-free, naked DNA templates. Here the requirements for nuclear assembly around a naked DNA template were investigated. Extracts were separated by ultracentrifugation into cytosol, membrane, and gelatinous pellet fractions. It was found that, in addition to the cytosolic and membrane fractions, a component of the gelatinous pellet fraction was required for the assembly of functional nuclei around a naked DNA template. In the absence of this component, membrane-bound but functionally inert spheres of lambda DNA were formed. Purification of the active pellet factor unexpectedly demonstrated the component to be glycogen. The assembly of functionally active nuclei, as assayed by DNA replication and nuclear transport, required that glycogen be pre-incubated with the lambda DNA and cytosol during the period of chromatin and higher order intermediate formation, before the addition of membranes. Hydrolysis of glycogen with alpha-amylase in the extract blocked nuclear formation. Upon analysis, chromatin formed in the presence of cytosol and glycogen alone appeared highly condensed, reminiscent of the nuclear assembly intermediate described by Newport in crude extracts (Newport, J. 1987. Cell. 48:205-217). In contrast, chromatin formed from phage lambda DNA in cytosol lacking glycogen formed "fluffy chromatin-like" structures. Using sucrose gradient centrifugation, the highly condensed intermediates formed in the presence of glycogen could be isolated and were now able to serve as nuclear assembly templates in extracts lacking glycogen, arguing that the requirement for glycogen is temporally restricted to the time of intermediate formation and function. Glycogen does not act simply by inducing condensation of the chromatin, since similarly isolated mitotically condensed chromatin intermediates do not form functional nuclei. However, both mitotic and fluffy interphase chromatin intermediates formed in the absence of glycogen can be rescued to form functional nuclei when added to a second extract which contains glycogen. This study presents a novel role for a carbohydrate in nuclear assembly, a role which involves the formation of a particular chromatin intermediate. Potential models for the role of glycogen are discussed.

Animals↗

Studies of native glycogen isolated from synchronized Tetrahymena pyriformis (HSM).

Native glycogen was isolated from Tetrahymena pyriformis (HSM) by isopycnic centrifugation in cesium chloride density gradients. A density of 1.62 to 1.65 was isopycnic for glycogen. Most of the banded glycogen existed as 35 to 40 mmicro particles which had a sedimentation coefficient of 214. These particles were composed of aggregates of 2 to 3 mmicro spherical particles. Extraction of glycogen with hot alkali reduced the sedimentation coefficient of native glycogen from 214 to 64.7 and the particle diameter from approximately 40 to 20 mmicro and smaller. Cell division was synchronized by a repetitive 12-hour temperature cycle, and glycogen was measured at several times during the cell cycle. The temperature cycle consisted of 9.5 hours at 12 degrees C and 2.5 hours at 27 degrees C. Approximately 90 per cent of the cells divided during the last 1.5 hours of the warm period. The carbohydrate/protein ratio of cells at the end of the cold period was 0.27 and was reduced slightly during the warm period. Glucose was incorporated into glycogen during both periods, although the rate of incorporation was greater during the warm period. No preferential incorporation on the basis of particle size was noted. Incorporation was measured in both native glycogen and KOH-extracted glycogen. Tetrahymena glycogen is compared with rat liver glycogen previously isolated by similar procedures, and the significance of using combined rate-zonal and isopycnic centrifugation for isolating native glycogen is discussed.

Carbon Isotopes↗

High glycogen levels in brains of rats with minimal environmental stimuli: implications for metabolic contributions of working astrocytes.

The concentration of glycogen, the major brain energy reserve localized mainly in astrocytes, is generally reported as about 2 or 3 micromol/g, but sometimes as high as 3.9 to 8 micromol/g, in normal rat brain. The authors found high but very different glycogen levels in two recent studies in which glycogen was determined by the routine amyloglucosidase procedure in 0.03N HCl digests either of frozen powders (4.8 to 6 micromol/g) or of ethanol-insoluble fractions (8 to 12 micromol/g). To evaluate the basis for these discrepant results, glycogen was assayed in parallel extracts of the same samples. Glycogen levels in ethanol extracts were twice those in 0.03N HCl digests, suggesting incomplete enzyme inactivation even with very careful thawing. The very high glycogen levels were biologically active and responsive to physiologic and pharmacological challenge. Glycogen levels fell after brief sensory stimulation, and metabolic labeling indicated its turnover under resting conditions. About 95% of the glycogen was degraded under in vitro ischemic conditions, and its "carbon equivalents" recovered mainly as glc, glc-P, and lactate. Resting glycogen stores were reduced by about 50% by chronic inhibition of nitric oxide synthase. Because neurotransmitters are known to stimulate glycogenolysis, stress or sensory activation due to animal handling and tissue-sampling procedures may stimulate glycogenolysis during an experiment, and glycogen lability during tissue sampling and extraction can further reduce glycogen levels. The very high glycogen levels in normal rat brain suggest an unrecognized role for astrocytic energy metabolism during brain activation.

Animals↗

Effect of muscle glycogen on glucose, lactate and amino acid metabolism during exercise and recovery in human subjects.

1. Eight subjects performed two-legged exercise, one leg with low and the other with normal muscle glycogen content. The purpose was to study the effect of low initial muscle glycogen content on the metabolic response during 1 h of exercise and 2 h of recovery. This model allows direct comparison of net fluxes of substrates and metabolites over the exercising legs receiving the same arterial inflow. 2. Muscle glycogen breakdown during exercise was 60% lower in the leg with a reduced pre-exercise glycogen concentration and the rate of glucose uptake during exercise was 30% higher. 3. The amount of pyruvate that was oxidized during exercise was calculated to be approximately 450 mmol in the low-glycogen leg and 750 mmol in the normal-glycogen leg, which suggests more fat and amino acid oxidation in the low-glycogen leg. 4. During exercise, there was a significant release of amino acids not metabolized in the muscle, e. g. tyrosine and phenylalanine, only from the low-glycogen leg, suggesting an increased rate of net protein degradation in this leg. 5. The release of tyrosine and phenylalanine from the low-glycogen leg during the exercise period and the change in their muscle concentrations yield a net tyrosine and phenylalanine production rate of 1.4 and 1.5 mmol h-1, respectively. The net rate of protein degradation was then calculated to be 7-12 g h-1. 6. The results suggest that the observed differences in metabolism between the low-glycogen and the normal-glycogen leg are induced by the glycogen level per se, since the legs received the same arterial supply of hormones and substrates.

Adult↗

Regulation of glycogen content in primary astrocyte culture: effects of glucose analogues, phenobarbital, and methionine sulfoximine.

Compounds known to affect glycogen metabolism in vivo or in cell-free preparations were used to investigate the regulation of glycogen content in intact astrocytes cultured from newborn rat cortex. Compounds were added with fresh medium to culture dishes, and astrocyte glucose and glycogen content determined 24 h later. Increasing the medium glucose concentration from 7.5 mM to 30 mM increased cell glycogen content 80%. Addition of 2-deoxyglucose or 3-O-methyl glucose (2.5-10 mM) also increased cell glycogen content, 50-100%, suggesting a regulatory rather than mass action effect of glucose on astrocyte glycogen content. The phosphorylase b inhibitors 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexabromobiphenyl and riboflavin had no effect on astrocyte glycogen content, consistent with negligible phosphorylase b activity in normal astrocytes. Phenobarbital and L-methionine-DL-sulfoximine (MSO) are both known to induce astrocyte glycogen accumulation in vivo. The addition of phenobarbital (2 mM) had no effect on the glycogen content of cultured astrocytes, suggesting an indirect mechanism for the in vivo effect. MSO at 1 mM, however, induced a 300% increase in glycogen content. The time course of glucose and glycogen content after MSO administration suggests this increase to be the result of slowed glycogenolysis rather than accelerated glycogen synthesis.

3-O-Methylglucose↗

Content and distribution of glycogen in oral epithelial dysplasia.

Forty-four oral lesions with epithelial dysplasia and 25 other benign and malignant lesions of the oral mucosa were examined after staining with hematoxylin-eosin and diastase controlled PAS. The intensity of the PAS-positivity for glycogen, the grade of dysplasia, the type of keratinization and the degree of subepithelial inflammation were recorded. Histologically normal epithelium at the margins of the lesions were used as controls. The presence and amount of glycogen in normal epithelium at the margins of the lesions were used as controls. The presence and amount of glycogen in normal epithelium at the margin of the lesions were used as controls. The presence and amount of glycogen in normal epithelium varied with the form of keratinization in that non- or parakeratinized epithelium was rich in glycogen whereas there was a negative glycogen-reaction in orthokeratinized epithelium. The most striking feature was an abrupt limitation of the glycogen at the junction between nondysplastic and dysplastic epithelium. The difference in the amount of glycogen in normal and dysplastic epithelium as assessed semiquantitatively, was statistically significant. There was no statistically significant difference in glycogen content with different degrees of dysplasia. The diastase controlled PAS-staining may therefore be a useful method of distinguishing dysplastic from nondysplastic epithelium in doubtful cases. Pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplastic epithelium covering granular cell myoblastoma did not contain any glycogen. Five of six squamous cell carcinomas and four verrucous carcinomas contained no demonstrable glycogen. Glycogen was present in the epithelium of the cases of lichen planus and "denture hyperplasia" investigated.

Adult↗

The glucose-galactose paradox in neonatal murine hepatic glycogen synthesis.

In adults glucose incorporation to glycogen is indirect after recycling from lactate. In neonates galactose entry to glycogen exceeds that for glucose, but the pathway is unknown. The pathway of hexose incorporation to glycogen was studied in 5-7-day-old rats and 6-h-old rats injected intraperitoneally (IP) with either double-labeled [6-3H]glucose (nonrecycling), [U-14C]glucose (recycling), or [6-3H]glucose and [U-14C]galactose in saline. In another group of pups, 1 g/kg of glucose or galactose was administered in addition to tracers to determine glycemia and net glycogen synthesis between 15 and 180 min after injection. Blood glucose increased from 3.4 +/- 0.4 to 8.5 +/- 1.5 mM in 5-7-day-old pups in response to IP glucose; there was no glycemic response to galactose, although galactose levels increased from 0.5 to 6.3 mM at 15 min. Hepatic glycogen increased after IP glucose from 14 +/- 2 at 15 min to 30 +/- 3 at 120 min (P less than 0.01), whereas after IP galactose glycogen was 44 +/- 6 mumol/g at 120 min (P less than 0.05). After IP glucose, 3H and 14C disintegration per minute in glycogen increased slowly with 14C exceeding 3H at 120 and 180 min. In contrast IP [14C]galactose resulted in a much greater peak of 14C incorporation into glycogen. The ratio of 3H to 14C in glycogen relative to the injectate after IP glucose decreased from 0.69 +/- 0.12 to 0.36 +/- 0.03 (P less than 0.01) between 15 to 180 min, whereas the ratio after galactose was 0.20 +/- 0.007 to 0.15 +/- 0.02 at these times. The 6-h-old pups also demonstrated augmented incorporation of [14C]galactose in glycogen relative to [3H-14C]glucose. In contrast to 5-7-day-old pups there was no evidence of glucose recycling in 6-h-old pups. In conclusion galactose entry into glycogen exceeds that for glucose and is not dependent on recycling. Direct incorporation of galactose exceeds that for direct incorporation from [3H]glucose, suggesting a preferential utilization of galactose for neonatal glycogen synthesis.

Aging↗

Measurement of myocardial glycogen synthesis in diabetic and fasted rats.

Diabetes and fasting provoke an increase in heart glycogen content, despite a decline in the amount of active glycogen synthase present. To determine if the activity of glycogen synthase i is still rate limiting for glycogen synthesis, we used 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance to measure the in vivo rate of glycogen synthesis and compared this with the activity of glycogen synthase and phosphorylase measured in tissue extracts using physiological concentrations of substrates and activators. In the basal state the activity of glycogen synthase i was depressed in the diabetic and fasted hearts (P less than 0.01). The rate of heart glycogen synthesis was measured during a 50-min infusion of D-[1-13C]-glucose (10 mg/min) and insulin (1 U/min) and averaged 0.32 +/- 0.04 mumol.min-1.g wet wt-1 in controls and was diminished in both the diabetic (0.18 +/- 0.04 mumol.min-1.g wet wt-1) and fasted (0.16 +/- 0.03 mumol.min-1.g wet wt-1) and fasted (0.16 +/- 0.03 mumol.min-1.g wet wt-1) rats (P less than 0.05 for each). During the glucose and insulin infusion the average activity of glycogen synthase i was greater in control than diabetic or fasted hearts (P less than 0.01 for each) and approximated the rates of net glycogen synthesis in each group. In contrast, there were no significant differences in phosphorylase alpha activity, measured in tissue extracts, among the three groups. Furthermore, although this phosphorylase alpha activity greatly exceeded synthase activity, it did not appear to be expressed in vivo. We conclude that in normal, diabetic, and fasted rats, glycogen synthase is rate limiting for glycogen synthesis.

Animals↗

Enhancement of hepatic glycogen by gluconeogenic precursors: substrate flux or metabolic control?

After a meal or glucose load, most carbons of hepatic glycogen are derived from gluconeogenesis. In vitro, hepatic glycogen accumulation is sluggish with glucose alone but markedly enhanced in the presence of gluconeogenic substrates. These findings conflict with the classical view that glucose is the major precursor of hepatic glycogen and have been termed the "glucose paradox." In this review, we attempt to elucidate the central mechanism underlying the glucose paradox by critically examining the in vitro data of hepatic glycogen accumulation. Our analysis is inconsistent with the current hypothesis that glucose phosphorylation is rate limiting for hepatic glycogen accumulation from glucose and that gluconeogenesis enhances glycogen accumulation primarily by increasing substrate flux to the hepatic glucose 6-phosphate pool. Instead, our analysis leads us to the conclusion that the rate-limiting step is the net incorporation of glucose 6-phosphate into glycogen, which is synergistically facilitated with glucose and gluconeogenic substrates. Thus gluconeogenic substrates are involved in the regulation of key enzyme(s) of glycogen metabolism. In addition, in the livers from fasted rats there is substantial cycling through glycogen, and that suppression of glycogen degradation may be a major mechanism in the enhancement of glycogen accumulation by gluconeogenic substrates. Thus we propose a specific hypothesis of the role of gluconeogenic substrates in glycogen metabolism (i.e., inhibition of phosphorylase), which can be tested by future studies.

Animals↗

Mechanism of muscle glycogen autoregulation in humans.

To examine the mechanism by which muscle glycogen limits its own synthesis, muscle glycogen and glucose 6-phosphate (G-6-P) concentrations were measured in seven healthy volunteers during a euglycemic ( approximately 5.5 mM)-hyperinsulinemic ( approximately 450 pM) clamp using (13)C/(31)P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy before and after a muscle glycogen loading protocol. Rates of glycogen synthase (V(syn)) and phosphorylase (V(phos)) flux were estimated during a [1-(13)C]glucose (pulse)-unlabeled glucose (chase) infusion. The muscle glycogen loading protocol resulted in a 65% increase in muscle glycogen content that was associated with a twofold increase in fasting plasma lactate concentrations (P < 0.05 vs. basal) and an approximately 30% decrease in plasma free fatty acid concentrations (P < 0.001 vs. basal). Muscle glycogen loading resulted in an approximately 30% decrease in the insulin-stimulated rate of net muscle glycogen synthesis (P < 0.05 vs. basal), which was associated with a twofold increase in intramuscular G-6-P concentration (P < 0.05 vs. basal). Muscle glycogen loading also resulted in an approximately 30% increase in whole body glucose oxidation rates (P < 0.05 vs. basal), whereas there was no effect on insulin-stimulated rates of whole body glucose uptake ( approximately 10.5 mg. kg body wt(-1). min(-1) for both clamps) or glycogen turnover (V(syn)/V(phos) was approximately 23% for both clamps). In conclusion, these data are consistent with the hypothesis that glycogen limits its own synthesis through feedback inhibition of glycogen synthase activity, as reflected by an accumulation of intramuscular G-6-P, which is then shunted into aerobic and anaerobic glycolysis.

Adult↗

Lack of defect in insulin action on hepatic glycogen synthase and phosphorylase in insulin-resistant monkeys.

It is well known that an alteration in insulin activation of skeletal muscle glycogen synthase is associated with insulin resistance. To determine whether this defect in insulin action is specific to skeletal muscle, or also present in liver, simultaneous biopsies of these tissues were obtained before and during a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp in spontaneously obese insulin-resistant male rhesus monkeys. The activities of glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase and the concentrations of glucose 6-phosphate and glycogen were measured. There were no differences between basal and insulin-stimulated glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase activities or in glucose 6-phosphate and glycogen contents in muscle. Insulin increased the activities of liver glycogen synthase (P < 0.05) and decreased the activities of liver glycogen phosphorylase (P 0.001). Insulin also caused a reduction in liver glucose 6-phosphate (P = 0.05). We conclude that insulin-resistant monkeys do not have a defect in insulin action on liver glycogen synthase, although a defect in insulin action on muscle glycogen synthase is present. Therefore, tissue-specific alterations in insulin action on glycogen synthase are present in the development of insulin resistance in rhesus monkeys.

Adipose Tissue↗

Effects of glycogen depletion on ischemic injury in isolated rat hearts: insights into preconditioning.

Limitation of myocardial injury and infarction has been demonstrated by interventions such as ischemic preconditioning or the use of pyruvate as a substrate, which reduces glycogen content before, and acidosis during, ischemia. An isolated perfused rat heart model of global ischemia was employed to test the hypothesis that glycogen depletion reduces ischemic injury as measured by creatine kinase release. 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to measure high-energy phosphates (ATP and phosphocreatine), phosphomonoesters (PME), and intracellular pH. Compared with control glucose-perfused hearts with normal glycogen content (1.49 +/- 0.13 mg Glc/g wet wt), glycogen-depleted pyruvate, ischemic preconditioned, and glycogen-depleted glucose hearts all had reduced glycogen content before ischemia (0.62 +/- 0.16, 0.81 +/- 0.10, and 0.67 +/- 0.12 mg Glc/g wet wt, respectively; P = 0.003) and significantly higher pH at the end of ischemia (5.85 +/- 0.02, 6.33 +/- 0.06, 6.24 +/- 0.04, and 6.12 +/- 0.02 in control, glycogen-depleted pyruvate, preconditioned, and glycogen-depleted glucose-perfused hearts, respectively; P < 0.01), although acidification during the initial phase of ischemia was differentially affected by the three interventions. Glycogen-depleted pyruvate and preconditioned hearts had reduced PME accumulation, greater recovery of function and phosphocreatine, and lower creatine kinase release on reperfusion, whereas glycogen-depleted glucose-perfused hearts were similar to control hearts. In summary, glycogen depletion by these three methods limits the fall in pH during global ischemia, although glycogen depletion in the absence of preconditioning does not limit ischemic injury.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Glycogen depletion contributes to ischemic preconditioning in the rat heart in vivo.

Ischemic preconditioning depletes the myocardium of glycogen, thus blunting lactic acidosis during subsequent episodes of ischemia. Preconditioning also protects against reperfusion arrhythmias and infarction. To test whether glycogen depletion is necessary for this ischemic tolerance, we preconditioned two groups of intact rats with a series of 3-min coronary artery occlusions. In one group, preconditioning lowered the glycogen concentration of the ischemic region by approximately 50% (24.9 +/- 2.5 to 12.5 +/- 1.8 mumol/g; P < 0.01). In the other, the heart was first loaded with glycogen via glucose-insulin infusion so that preconditioning merely reduced its glycogen concentration back to normal physiological levels. Compared with nonpreconditioned control rats, preconditioned rats with both normal and subnormal glycogen concentrations were protected from reperfusion arrhythmias after a 6-min coronary occlusion (incidence: control rats, 100%; normal glycogen rats, 11%; reduced glycogen rats, 11%). In contrast, only rats with subnormal glycogen concentration after preconditioning exhibited reduced lactate formation and infarct size after a 45-min coronary occlusion [infarct size (percentage of risk area): control rats, 53 +/- 10%; normal glycogen rats, 50 +/- 16%, P = not significant; subnormal glycogen rats, 18 +/- 10%, P < 0.01]. Thus, in the intact rat, myocardial glycogen depletion appears to be necessary for the infarct-limiting, but not for the antiarrhythmic, effects of ischemic preconditioning.

Animals↗

Human muscle glycogen resynthesis after exercise: insulin-dependent and -independent phases.

To study the effects of glycogen depletion and insulin concentration on glycogen synthesis, gastrocnemius glycogen was measured with 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance at 4.7 T after exercise. Subjects performed single-leg toe raises to deplete gastrocnemius glycogen to 75, 50, or 25% of resting concentration (protocol I). Insulin dependence of glycogen synthesis was assessed after depletion to 25% with (protocol II) and without (protocol III) infusion of somatostatin to inhibit insulin secretion. After depletion to 75 and 50%, glycogen resynthesis rates were similar (2.4 +/- 0.7 and 2.8 +/- 0.6 mM/h, respectively). When glycogen was depleted to 25% (< 30 mM), the resynthesis rate was significantly higher (P < 0.02) at 33 +/- 7 mM/h, and it declined to 3.5 +/- 0.9 mM/h at > 35 mM glycogen. At < 35 mM glycogen, synthesis was not affected by low insulin (24 +/- 4 mM/h, protocol vs. 19 +/- 3 mM/h, protocol III), whereas at > 35 mM glycogen, synthesis ceased without insulin (-0.07 +/- 0.19 mM/h, protocol II). After depletion to 25% (protocol III), plasma lactate transiently increased (0.81 mM at rest, 1.82 mM 0 h after exercise, and 0.76 mM 2 h after exercise), whereas other plasma constituents did not significantly change. We conclude that after depletion to < 30 mM initial glycogen resynthesis is insulin independent and glycogen dependent, which suggests local control.

Adult↗

Role of the direct and indirect pathways for glycogen synthesis in rat liver in the postprandial state.

The pathway for hepatic glycogen synthesis in the postprandial state was studied in meal-fed rats chronically cannulated in the portal vein. Plasma glucose concentration in the portal vein was found to be 4.50 +/- 1.01 mM (mean +/- SE; n = 3) before a meal and 11.54 +/- 0.70 mM (mean +/- SE; n = 4) after a meal in rats meal-fed a diet consisting of 100% commercial rat chow for 7 d. The hepatic-portal difference of plasma glucose concentration showed that liver released glucose in the fasted state and either extracted or released glucose after feeding depending on plasma glucose concentration in the portal vein. The concentration of portal vein glucose at which liver changes from glucose releasing to glucose uptake was 8 mM, the Km of glucokinase [E.C. 2.7.1.12]. The rate of glycogen synthesis in liver during meal-feeding was found to be approximately 1 mumol glucosyl U/g wet wt/min in rats meal-fed a 50% glucose supplemented chow diet. The relative importance of the direct vs. indirect pathway for the replenishment of hepatic glycogen was determined by the incorporation of [3-3H,U-14C]glucose into liver glycogen. Labeled glucose was injected into the portal vein at the end of meal-feeding. The ratio of 3H/14C in the glucosyl units of glycogen was found to be 83-92% of the ratio in liver free glucose six minutes after the injection, indicating that the majority of exogenous glucose incorporated into glycogen did not go through glycolysis. The percent contribution of the direct versus indirect pathway was quantitated from the difference in the relative specific activity (RSA) of [3H] and [14C]-glycogen in rats infused with [3-3H,U-14C]glucose. No significant difference was found between the RSA of [3H]glycogen and [14C]glycogen, indicating further that the pathway for glycogen synthesis in liver from exogenous glucose is from the direct pathway. Our results do not support the thesis that the majority of liver glycogen is synthesized from glucose-6-phosphate derived from gluconeogenesis. Reasons for the discrepancy between current findings and other reports supporting the indirect pathway for glycogen synthesis in the liver are discussed.

Animals↗

Intramuscular glycogen and intramyocellular lipid utilization during prolonged exercise and recovery in man: a 13C and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.

Depletion of muscle glycogen is considered a limiting performance factor during prolonged exercise, whereas the role of the intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) pool is not yet fully understood. We examined 1) intramyocellular glycogen and lipid utilization during prolonged exercise, 2) resynthesis of muscle glycogen and lipids during recovery, and 3) changes in glycogen content between nonexercising and exercising muscles during recovery. Subjects ran on a treadmill at submaximal intensity until exhaustion. Glycogen concentrations were assessed in thigh, calf, and nonexercising forearm muscle, and IMCL content was measured in soleus muscle using magnetic resonance spectroscopy techniques. At the time of exhaustion, glycogen depletion was 2-fold greater in calf than in thigh muscles, but a significant amount of glycogen was left in both leg muscles. The glycogen concentration in nonexercising forearm muscle decreased during the initial 5 h of recovery to 73% of the baseline value. Duringthe exercise, the IMCL content decreased to 67% and subsequently during recovery increased to 83% of the baseline value. In summary, we found during prolonged running 1) significantly greater muscle glycogen utilization in the calf muscle group than in the thigh muscle group, 2) significant utilization of IMCL in the soleus muscle, and 3) a decrease in glycogen content in nonexercising muscle and an increase in glycogen content in recovering muscles during the postexercise phase. These latter data are consistent with the hypothesis that there is transfer of glycogen by the glucose-lactate and the glucose-->alanine cycle from the resting muscle (forearm) to recovering muscles (thigh and calf) after running exercise.

Blood Glucose↗