Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Paper
  • Published:

The postprandial rates of glycogen and lipid synthesis of lean and obese female Zucker rats

International Journal of Obesity volume 24, pages 508–513 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relative rates of glycogenesis and lipogenesis following administration of a test meal in lean and obese Zucker rats.

PROTOCOL: Nine-week-old lean and obese Zucker rats were fasted overnight, then tube-fed a test meal of balanced composition amounting to 16 kJ (lean rats and one group of obese rats) or 24 kJ (one group of obese rats) and containing 200 mg 1-13C glucose. Immediately after the meal the rats were injected intraperitoneally with 5 mCi of 3H2O and killed 1 h later.

METHODS: Glycogenesis was calculated from the incorporation of 3H into liver glycogen divided by the specific activity of plasma water. Lipogenesis was calculated similarly from the incorporation of 3H into saponifiable lipids in liver and perirenal adipose tissue. The proportion of glycogen synthesized by the indirect pathway via pyruvate was determined from the ratio of 3H labelling at positions C6 and C2 in the glycogen glucose residues. Glycogen synthesis from glucose was determined from the ratio of 13C enrichment in liver glycogen to that in plasma glucose.

RESULTS: The rate of synthesis of glycogen was considerably lower in the livers of obese rats than those of lean controls, with the larger meal causing a small but significant increase in glycogenesis. The proportion of glycogen synthesized via pyruvate showed a non-significant increase in the obese rats, while the amount of glycogen synthesized from glucose was significantly decreased. Hepatic lipogenic rates were about five times higher in both groups of obese rats than the lean controls. In adipose tissue, lipogenesis per g tissue was slightly reduced in the obese rats, although there was clearly an increase in adipose tissue lipogenic activity per whole animal. The larger meal caused a greater rise in plasma glucose and insulin concentrations but did not affect lipogenic rates, although it did cause a greater suppression of lipolysis, as indicated by a lower plasma glycerol concentration.

CONCLUSION: Ingested carbohydrate is partitioned predominantly into hepatic fatty acid synthesis in obese Zucker rats. Hepatic glycogen synthesis is suppressed and comes mainly from precursors other than glucose. The suppression of hepatic glycogen synthesis may contribute to the increased energetic efficiency of obese Zucker rats.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Terrettaz J, Jeanrenaud B . Contribution of glycerol and alanine to basal hepatic glucose production in the genetically obese ( fa/fa) rat Biochem J 1990 270: 803–807.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Domènech M, López-Soriano FJ, Carbó N, Argilés JM . The metabolic fate of an oral 14C alanine load in the obese Zucker rat Int J Obes 1992 16: 213–218.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Lemonnier D . Hyperinsulinism in genetically obese rats Horm Metab Res 1971 3: 287–288.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Wade AJ . Glycogen and lipid metabolism in the liver of the genetically obese (Zucker) rat (Abstract) J Physiol 1981 319: 74–75P.

    Google Scholar 

  5. McGarry JD, Kuwajima M, Newgard CB, Foster DW, Katz J . From dietary glucose to glycogen: the full circle round Ann Rev Nutr 1987 7: 51–73.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Radziuk J . Sources of carbon in hepatic glycogen synthesis during absorption of an oral glucose load in humans Fed Proc 1982 41: 110–116.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Emery PW, Carpenter TTA, Obeid OA . Alterations in postprandial glycogen and lipid synthesis in cachectic tumor-bearing rats Nutr Cancer 1993 20: 231–240.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Postle AD, Bloxham DP . The use of tritiated water to measure absolute rates of hepatic glycogen synthesis Biochem J 1980 192: 65–73.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Obeid OA, Khayatt JA, Emery PW . The effect of meal size on postprandial carbohydrate metabolism in normal and tumor bearing rats Nutrition 1998 14: 191–196.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Becker EE, Grinker JA . Meal patterns in the genetically obese Zucker rat Physiol Behav 1977 18: 685–692.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Bernhart F, Tomarelli R . A salt mixture supplying the National Research Council estimates of the mineral requirement of the rat J Nutr 1966 89: 495–500.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Naismith DJ, Akinyanju P, Yudkin J . Influence of caffeine containing beverages on the growth, food utilisation and plasma lipid of the rat J Nutr 1969 97: 375–381.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Obeid OA, Emery PW . The effect of acute Acipimox administration on the rates of lipid and glycogen synthesis in cachectic tumour bearing rats Nutr Cancer 1997 28: 100–106.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Wieko J, Sherman WR . Boroacetylation of carbohydrates. Correlations between structure and mass spectral behavior in monoacetylhexose cyclic boronic esters J Am Chem Soc 1976 98: 7631–7637.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Kuwajima M, Golden S, Katz J, Unger RH, Foster DW, McGarry JD . Active hepatic glycogen synthesis from gluconeogenesis precursors despite high tissue levels of fructose 2,6 biphosphate J Biol Chem 1986 261: 2632–2637.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Radcliffe JD, Webster AJF . The effect of varying the quality of dietary protein and energy on food intake and growth in the Zucker rat Br J Nutr 1979 41: 111–124.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Godbole V, York DA . Lipogenesis in situ in the genetically obese Zucker fatty rat ( fa/fa): role of hyperphagia and hyperinsulinaemia Diabetologia 1978 14: 191–197.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Tosh D, Beresford G, Agius L . Glycogen synthesis from glucose by direct and indirect pathways in hepatocyte cultures from different nutritional states Biochim Biophys Acta 1994 1224: 205–212.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Powles J, Obeid OA, Emery PW . The effect of exogenous insulin administration on postprandial glycogen synthesis in the rat (Abstract) Proc Nutr Soc 1994 53: 58A.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Aiston I, Agius L . Leptin enhances glycogen storage in hepatocytes by inhibition of phosphorylase and exerts an additive effect with insulin Diabetes 1999 48: 15–20.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Wade AJ . Reduced liver glycogen depletion in fasted genetically obese (Zucker) rats (Abstract) J Physiol 1979 293: 33P.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Koubi H, Duchamp C, Geloen A, Freminet A, Minaire Y . Resistance of hepatic glycogen to depletion in obese Zucker rats Can J Physiol Pharmac 1991 69: 841–845.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Damsbo P, Vaag A, Hother-Nielsen O, Beck-Nielsen H . Reduced glycogen synthase activity in skeletal muscle from obese patients with and without Type 2 (non-insulin dependent) diabetes mellitus Diabetologia 1991 34: 239–245.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Müller C, Assimacopoulos-Jeannet F, Mosimann F, Schneiter P, Riou JP, Pachiaudi C, Felber JP, Jéquier E, Jeanrenaud B, Tappy L . Endogenous glucose production, gluconeogenesis and liver glycogen concentration in obese non-diabetic patients Diabetologia 1997 40: 463–468.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Professor A I Mallet, St John's Institute of Dermatology, UMDS, London for the 13C analysis.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Nutrition, St Bartholomew's and London Hospital School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK

    OA Obeid & J Powell-Tuck

  2. Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, King's College London, London, UK

    PW Emery

Authors
  1. OA Obeid
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J Powell-Tuck
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. PW Emery
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to PW Emery.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Obeid, O., Powell-Tuck, J. & Emery, P. The postprandial rates of glycogen and lipid synthesis of lean and obese female Zucker rats. Int J Obes 24, 508–513 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801189

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801189

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links