Effect of starvation-refeeding and an exogenous glucocorticoid on carbohydrate metabolism in chick liver.
Broiler chicks, 4 weeks of age, were subjected to a regimen of 48-hr starvation and 24-hr refeeding as a means of inducing hepatic glycogen supercompensation. A synthetic glucocorticoid (prednisolone) and transcription inhibitor (actinomycin D) treatment were superimposed on the starvation-refeeding regimen to examine the effect of an exogenous glucocorticoid and the necessity for de novo protein synthesis during glycogen supercompensation. Starvation decreased plasma glucose, immunoreactive insulin and liver glycogen. These parameters returned to, or overshot prefasting levels after a 48-hr refeeding period. Prednisolone magnified the overshoot response but some de novo protein synthesis was required. Glycogen synthase a activity was opposite that of liver glycogen content. A possible nonhormone stimulated glycogen synthetic mechanism in the starvation-refeeding response of the chick was noted.
D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism; D002645:Chickens / Q000378:metabolism*; D003609:Dactinomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004435:Eating; D006006:Glycogen Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D008112:Liver Glycogen / Q000378:metabolism; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000494:pharmacology; D013217:Starvation
D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D008112:Liver Glycogen; D003609:Dactinomycin; D011239:Prednisolone; D006006:Glycogen Synthase