[Stimulation of DNA synthesis and mitoses in the rat liver in experimental galactosemia caused by the prolonged administration of galactose].

Feeding of rats with galactose-rich ration results in the activation of galactoso-1-phosphate-uridililtransferase in the liver after 2--4 days. By days 5--13, the activity of the enzyme decreased to the control level in spite of continued feeding of rats with galactose-rich ration. The activation of galactoso-1-phosphate-uridililtransferase occurred on the first 5 days of the experiment, whereas all proliferative activity in the liver increased from days 12--60, and the maximum mitotic was attained by the 20th and 50th days of feeding with galactose-rich diet. DNA synthesis also increased considerably, and this evidenced the increased H3-thymidine incorporation in hepatocyte nuclei. If one accept that the induction of enzyme transforming galactose to glucose is an adaptive response of cells (organism) to galactose in the diet, then the subsequent stage of adaptation would be hepatocyte proliferation.