Altered interactions between glycogenesis and lipid synthesis after liver resection: specific effects of liver regeneration, coupled with non-specific effects of surgery

Abstract

1. This work investigated the relationship between glycogenesis and lipid synthesis during liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy in the rat. 2. Rates of lipid synthesis were increased during the first 2 post-operative days; these elevated rates were unaffected by starvation. By contrast, glycogen concentrations were decreased even after 8 post-operative days, by which time liver mass had been restored and concentrations were sensitive to nutritional status. 3. The results of experiments involving the intragastric or intraperitoneal administration of glucose indicated that increased lipid synthesis was unlikely to be a consequence of decreased glycogenesis, but that depletion of liver glycogen might be linked both to liver cell division and, in the longer term, surgical stress.