Summary
Since glycogen overloading is one of the outstanding features of the diabetic liver, a series of investigations were undertaken to find an enzymatic explanation of this feature. Three groups of patients were studied: non diabetics submitted to liver biopsy during surgery (group A); non diabetics submitted to percutaneous liver biopsy (group B). In both these groups G-6-PDH, PK and MDH were assayed, all these being adaptive enzymes of intermediate metabolism. Results were expressed as µU/100 mg proteins. The significant finding of the comparison of these two groups was the low concentration of these enzymes in surgical biopsies. The depression was such that for G-6-PDH the concentration was more than 10 times less in surgical specimens as compared to percutaneous ones, whereas for PK it was almost 10 times less. In view of these findings no further surgically obtained biopsy material was used in this study. The third group (C) included insulin-dependent diabetics in good metabolic control from whom percutaneous liver biopsies were obtained for the assay of the same enzymes as above and in order to compare the results with those of group B. All three enzymes were diminished in diabetics, the difference being statistically significant for G-6-PDH and PK, not for MDH in view of the wide dispersion of the values found. Comparison and analysis of these results lead to the conclusion that in view of the low concentration of these enzymes in diabetics, glucose utilization in the liver cell must be presumed to be increased via other metabolic pathways.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arlia R.: Anestesia en el paciente diabético — Rev. argent. Anest.30, 205, 1972.
Aynsley-Green A., Biebuyck J. F., Alberti K. G. M. M.: Anaesthesia and Insulin Secretion: the Effects of Diethyl Ether, Halothane, Pentobarbitone Sodium and Ketamine Hydrochloride on Intravenous Glucose Tolerance and Insulin Secretion in the Rat — Diabetologia9, 274, 1973.
Beisenherz G., Boltze H. J., Bücher Th., Czok R., Garbade K. H., Meyer-Arendt E., Pfleiderer G.: Diphosphofructose-Aldolase, Phosphoglyceraldehyd-Dehydrogenase, Milchsäure-Dehydrogenase, Glycerophosphat-Dehydrogenase und Pyruvat-Kinase aus Kaninchenmuskulatur in einem Arbeitsgang — Z. Naturforsch.8B, 555, 1953.
Bergmeyer H. U., Bernt E.: Malic Dehydrogenase — In:Bergmeyer H. U. (Ed.): Methods of Enzymatic Analysis — Verlag Chemie, Weinheim, 1963; p. 757.
Cabarrou A., Caíno H. V., Laguens R., Bianchi N. O.: Pathologie du foie humain dans le diabère sucré — Inform. therapeutique3, 43, 1969.
Cabarrou A., Laguens R., Caíno H. V., Doria I., Auciello N., Cédola N., Ponce de León H.: Hígado diabético. Modificaciones citoquímicas, ultraestructurales y enzimáticas — Acta diabet. lat.10, 1236, 1973.
Chang A. Y., Schneider D. I.: Hepatic Enzyme Activities in Streptozotocin-Diabetic Rats before and after Insulin Treatment — Diabetes20, 71, 1971.
Felig P.: Pathophysiology of Diabetes Mellitus — Med. Clin. N. Amer.55, 821, 1971.
Kornberg A., Horecker B. L.: Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase — In:Colowick S. P., Kaplan N. O. (Eds): Methods in Enzymology. I. Preparation and Assay of Enzymes. Academic Press, New York, 1955; p. 323.
Loughrigge L.: El hígado y los riñones en la anestesia. — In:Scurr S., Feldman S. (Eds): Fundamentos científicos de la anestesia. Ed. Científico Médica, Barcelona, 1972; p. 373.
Mayes P.: Metabolismo de los carbohidratos. — In:Harper H. A. (Ed.): Química Fisiológica. Ed. El Manual Moderno, Mexico, 1971; p. 259.
Millar R. A.: Anestesia y secreción endócrina — In:Scurr S., Feldman S. (Eds): Fundamentos científicos de la anestesia. Ed. Científico Médica, Barcelona, 1972; p. 353.
Shonk C. E., Boxer G. E.: Enzyme Patterns in Human Tissues. I. Methods for the Determination of Glycolytic Enzymes — Cancer Res.24, 709, 1964.
Shrago E., Glennon J. A., Gordon E. S.: Studies on Enzyme Concentration and Adaptation in Human Liver and Adipose Tissue — J. clin. Endocr.27, 679, 1967.
Sillero A., Sillero M. A., Sols A.: Regulation of the Level of Key Enzymes of Glycolysis and Gluconeogenesis in Liver — Europ. J. Biochem.10, 351, 1969.
Wagle S. R.: Studies on Mechanism of Glucose Synthesis in Diabetic and Normal Rat Liver — Diabetes15, 19, 1966.
Ward J. D., Baker R. W. R., Davis B. H.: Effect of Blood Sugar Control on the Accumulation of Sorbitol and Fructose in Nervous Tissue — Diabetes21, 1173, 1972.
Weber G., Singhal R. L., Stamm N. B., Srivastava S. K.: Hormonal Induction and Suppression of Liver Enzyme Biosynthesis — Fed. Proc.24, 745, 1965.
Weber G., Stamm N. B., Fisher E. A.: Insulin: Inducer of Pyruvate Kinase — Science149, 65, 1965.
Williams R. H.: Páncreas — In:Williams R. H. (Ed.): Tratado de Endocrinología. Ed. Salvat, Barcelona, 1969; p. 645.
Willms B., Ben-Ami P., Söling H. D.: Hepatic Enzyme Activities of Glycolysis and Gluconeogenesis in Diabetes of Man and Laboratory Animals — Hormone metab. Res.2, 135, 1970.
Winegrad A. I., Clements R. S. Jr., Morrison A. D.: Insulin-Independent Pathways of Carbohydrate Metabolism — In:Steiner D. F., Freinkel N. (Eds): Handbook of Physiology. Sect. 7: Endocrinology. Vol. 1. Endocrine Pancreas. Amer. Physiol. Soc., Washington, 1972; p. 456.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cédola, N., Doria, I., Cabarrou, A. et al. The liver in human diabetes. Concentration of some induced enzymes. Acta diabet. lat 12, 263–271 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02581099
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02581099