Studies on progressive metabolic alterations in thioacetamide induced hepatocarcinogenesis.

Sequential studies on levels of glycogen and lactic acid as well as activities of glucose-6-phosphatase, fructose-1, 6-diphosphatase aldolase, aspartic and ornithine transcarbamylase, arginase and xanthine oxidase were carried out in liver and tumour tissue of mice fed with 0.03% thioacetamide in normal stock diet. It was observed that significant decrease in glycogen content and activities of gluconeogenic enzymes was apparent at the age of 4 months, i.e. 2 months after thioacetamide treatment. Alterations in the other parameters studied were observed later, i.e. at the age of 9 months. Maximum changes were observed in the hepatomas, i.e. at the age of 17 months.