Summary
Staining procedures for glucose-6-phosphatase and 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase activity and for glycogen were used to investigate adaptive changes in the regionality of hepatic gluconeogenesis and ketogenesis in fasting male and female rats. A reciprocal distribution of gluconeogenic and ketogenic capacities was found in both sexes, but male and female animals were different with respect to: a) the time necessary for full induction of glucose-6-phosphatase activity (24 h in females, 48 h in males); b) the overall activity of 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase; and c) glycogen content. The activity of the latter enzyme and the glycogen content did increase with time of starvation, but at all times, were higher in males than in females. Results, thus, indicate that the extent to which ketone bodies replace glucose as major fucl for the brain is larger in males than in females. This may explain the delayed induction of glucose-6-phosphatase activity and the higher glycogen content in the male during starvation. Distributions of enzyme activities and of glycogen, furthermore, revealed the heterogeneity of the lobular periphery, i.e. functional differences among sinusoids dependent upon whether they originate from the portal tract or the vascular septum, and thus confirm the lobular concept proposed by Matsumoto et al. (1979).
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Andersen B, Zierz S, Jungermann K (1984) Alteration in zonation of succinate dehydrogenase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and glucose-6-phosphatase in regenerating rat liver. Histochemistry 80:97–101
Butts JS, Deuel HJ Jr (1933) The sexual variation in carbohydrate metabolism. II. The metabolism of diacetic acid in fasting rats and guinea pigs. J Biol Chem 100:415–428
Cardell RR Jr, Larner J, Babcock MB (1973) Correlation between structure and glycogen content of livers from rats on a controlled feeding schedule. Anat Rec 177:23–37
Deuel HJ Jr, Gulick M (1932) Studies on ketosis. I. The sexual variation in ketosis. J Biol Chem 96:25–34
Fischer W, Ick M, Katz N (1982) Reciprocal distribution of hexokinase and glucokinase in the periportal and perivenous zone of the rat liver acinns. Hoppe Seylers Z Physiol Chem 363:375–380
Hems DA, Whitton PD (1980) Control of hepatic glycogenolysis. Physiol Rev 60:1–50
Hers HG (1976) The control of glycogen metabolism in the liver. Annu Rev Biochem 45:167–189
Jungermann K, Sasse D (1978) Heterogeneity of liver parenchymal cells. Trends Biochem Sci 3:198–202
Matschinski FM, Hintz CS, Reichlmeier K, Quistorff B, Chance P. (1978) The intralobular distribution of oxidized and reduced pyridine nucleotides in the liver of normal and diabetic rats. In: Srere PA, Estabrook R (eds) Microenvironments and metabolic compartmentation. Academic Press, New York, pp 149–166
Matsumoto T, Komori R, Magara T, Vi T, Kawakami M, Tokuda T, Takasaki S, Hayashi H, Jo K, Hano H, Fujino H, Tanaka H (1979) A study on the normal structure of the human liver, with special reference to its angioarchitecture. Jikeikai Med J 26:1–39
McGarry JD, Foster DW (1980) Regulation of hepatic fatty acid oxidation and ketone body production. Annu Rev Biochem 49:395–420
Rappaport AM (1976) The microcirculatory acinar concept of normal and pathological hepatic structure. Beitr Pathol 157:219–243
Rappaport AM, Sasse D (1979) Leberazinus: die strukturelle und funktionelle Lebereinheit. In: Kühn HA, Wernze H (eds). Klinische Hepatologie. Thieme, Stuttgart, pp I.1-I.9
Rieder H (1981) NADP-dependent dehydrogenases in rat liver parenchyma. II. The description of a lipogenic area on the basis of histochemically demonstrated enzyme activities and the neutral fat content during fasting and refeeding. Histochemistry 72:579–615
Sasse D, Hoffmann H (1982) Postnatal differentiation of sex-specific patterns of G6Pase, G6PDH and ME in the rat liver. Histochemistry 75:31–42
Sasse D, Teutsch HF, Katz N, Jungermann K (1977) Arbeitsteilung und adaptative Gesamtleistung des Leberparenchyms. Histochemische und biochemische Untersuchungen zum Kohlenhydratstoffwechsel. Verh Anat Ges 71:873–877
Sasse D, Möllinger H, Wimmer M (1983) Antagonistic reaction of the periportal and perivenous zone in the rat liver after castration and estrogen treatment. Histochemistry 79:383–395
Schmidt U, Schmid H, Guder W (1978) Liver cell heterogeneity. The distribution of fructose-bisphosphatase in fed and fasted rats and in man. Hoppe Seylers Z Physiol Chem 359:193–198
Schumacher HH (1957) Histochemical distribution patterns of respiratory enzymes in the liver lobule. Science 125:501–503
Sherwin RS, Hendler RG, Felig PH (1975) Effect of ketone infusion on amino acid and nitrogen metabolism in man. J Clin Invest 55:1382–1390
Stalmans W (1976) The role of the liver in the homeostasis of blood glucose. Curr Top Cell Regul 11:51–97
Teutsch HF (1978) Improved method for the histochemical demonstration of glucose-6-phosphatase activity. A methodological study. Histochemistry 57:107–117
Teutsch HF (1981) Chemomorphology of liver parenchyma. Prog Histochem Cytochem 14,3:1–92
Teutsch HF (1983) Reciprocal sinusoidal distribution of hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase and glucokinase activity. Anat Rec 205:199A
Teutsch HF, Lowry OH (1982) Sex-specific regional differences in hepatic glucokinase activity. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 106:533–538
Weinhouse S (1976) Regulation of glucokinase. Curr Top Regul 11:1–50
Wohlrab F (1971) Der Einfluss biologischer Faktoren auf histochemische Reaktionsausfälle im Tierexperiment. Acta Histochem 39:12–31
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Parts of this study were carried out in the Anatomisches Institut, Universität Freiburg, Federal Republic of Germany
Supported by grants from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the Bochringer-Ingelheim Fonds and Grant AM 32654 from the National Institutes of Health
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Teutsch, H.F. Sex-specific regionality of liver metabolism during starvation; with special reference to the heterogeneity of the lobular periphery. Histochemistry 81, 87–92 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00495406
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00495406