Influence of mercuric chloride induced uremia on intramolecular structure of muscle glycogen in rats.

Long term maintenance of male rats of Long Evans variety following mercuric chloride induced uremia has shown an altered intramolecular structure of muscle glycogen with no significant difference in muscle glycogen content. The structure of muscle glycogen in these uremic rats when compared to sham control rats differed significantly from the structure of liver glycogen observed earlier in nephrectomized rats (Mannan et al., 1975). Biochemical analysis of muscle glycogen revealed a significant inverse relationship between the muscle and liver glycogen structure in terms of number of segments and number of non-reducing ends. Thus, an abnormal or altered muscle glycogen intramolecular structure of uremic rats is compatible with the observation of hypoglycemic state. Attributions of this to defects in glycogenolysis due to altered configuration in intramolecular structure of glycogen molecule are discussed.