The changes in the metabolite content in freeze-clamped livers of fed rats occurring on perfusion with 10mm-d-fructose have been examined. 2. The most striking effects of fructose were an accumulation of fructose 1-phosphate, as already known, up to 8.7mumol/g of liver within 10min, a loss of total adenine nucleotides (up to 35% after 40min) with a decrease in the ATP content to 23% within 10min, a sevenfold rise in the concentration of IMP to 1.1mumol/g and an eightfold rise of alpha-glycerophosphate to 1.1mumol/g. 3. There was a transient decrease in P(i) from 4.2 to 1.7mumol/g. Within 40min the P(i) content recovered to the normal value, probably because of an uptake of P(i) from the perfusion medium. 4. The degradation of the adenine nucleotides beyond the stage of AMP can be accounted for by the decrease of ATP and P(i). As ATP inhibits 5-nucleotidase, and as P(i) inhibits AMP deaminase any AMP arising in the tissue is liable to undergo dephosphorylation or deamination under the conditions occurring after fructose loading. 5. The content of lactate increased to 4.3mumol/g at 80min; pyruvate also increased and the [lactate]/[pyruvate] ratio remained within physiological limits. 6. The concentration of free fructose within the liver remained much below that in the perfusion medium, indicating that the rate of penetration of fructose into the tissue was lower than the rate of utilization. 7. The fission of fructose 1-phosphate by liver aldolase is inhibited by several phosphorylated intermediates, especially by IMP. This inhibition is competitive with a K(i) of 0.1mm. 8. The maximal rates of the enzymes synthesizing and splitting fructose 1-phosphate are about equal. The accumulation of fructose 1-phosphate on fructose loading is due to the inhibition of the fission of fructose 1-phosphate by the IMP arising from the degradation of the adenine nucleotides.
