Liver regeneration in rats administered high levels of carbohydrates.

Partially hepatectomized male rats were administered high levels of carbohydrates by drinker, in a casein-cellulose synthetic medium and in a commercial meal over a period of 10 days after surgery and the amount of liver regenerating or the increment ascertained; representative hepatic glycogen changes were also followed. Of the carbohydrate solutions, 5% levulose, 5% levulose+5% glucose and 10% sucrose increased the extent of liver regeneration as was also the case with the synthetic diet suplemented with 30 and 60% glucose, 30 and 60% levulose, 30% levulose+30% glucose, 30% each of galactose and the arabinoglactan, Stractan and 60% each of sucrose, honey and unsulphured molasses. The liver increments and glycogen contents were in the control range for animals fed the synthetic diet containing 30% each of lactose, sorbitol, corn starch and raffinose pentahydrate, 5% ascorbic acid and 15% L-arabinose but the liver glycogen was depressed with 30% xylose, a diet which was poorly tolerated; 15% mannitol caused a decrease inthe increment. The incorporation of several sugars into the commercial rat meal, including xylose (11%), raffinose (15%), L-arabinose (8%), D-arabinose (5%), L-sorbose (17%), galactosamine (0.20%) and galactono-gamma-lactone (10%), led to little change over the control increments. In intact rats fed the synthetic diet containing 30% each of glucose, lactose, galactose, sucrose and levulose for an interval of 10 days, the wet and dry liver--body weight ratios were significantly elevated only with the last two sugars but liver glycogen was increased in each instance.