Hypoglycaemia and the delayed proliferative response after subtotal hepatectomy.

Rats develop a profound hypoglycaemia after 82 per cent (subtotal) hepatectomy and a much smaller reduction in blood sugar level after 67 per cent (partial) hepatectomy. The proliferative response as measured by the incidence of hepatocyte mitoses is much depressed 24 and 29 hr after the major resection as compared with the response after the smaller resection at the same times. The intragastric administration of sugar to subtotally hepatectomized rats was associated with an increase in the levels of dividing cells although these levels did not equal those found at comparable times after the smaller hepatic resection.