Rat Liver and Kidney Gluconeogenesis After Acute Intoxication with Carbon Tetrachloride

Abstract

It is well known that administration of carbon tetrachloride to rats results in a generalized fall of liver enzyme activities. Glucose 6-phosphatase, fructose bisphosphatase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and lactate dehydrogenase have been described among the affected enzymes (Serban and Serban 1973; Taketa et al. 1976; Kamp and Hornbrook 1977; Faus et al. 1978), hepatic gluconeogenesis being impaired under these circumstances (Faus et al. 1978). On the contrary, renal cortical slices from acute poisoned rats (24 h) show an enhanced gluconeogenic capacity probably related to the induction of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (Faus et al. 1978). Since the kidneys from poisoned rats remain undamaged at this time, a direct action of the drug on kidney cortical cells can be precluded as the cause of renal metabolic adaptation. It is more reasonable that the induction of renal gluconeogenesis is linked to the biochemical alterations produced in liver.