title: An improved quantitative assay of glycogen in erythrocytes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Current methods for the quantitative determination of glycogen in erythrocytes are unsatisfactory.
  
  
  METHODS
  Erythrocytes were deproteinized with perchloric acid either after haemolysing by freezing and thawing twice or without freezing and thawing, and the glycogen content was determined by an enzymatic method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Freezing and thawing resulted in a significantly higher glycogen content, and the recovery of added glycogen using this method was nearly 100%. The mean erythrocyte glycogen content in healthy volunteers (n = 17) was 69.5 microg/g haemoglobin, a value much higher than the previously reported values in healthy subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Freezing and thawing improves the assay of erythrocyte glycogen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Meijo University, 150 Yagotoyama, Tempaku-ku Nagoya 468-8503, Japan. miwaichi@ccmfs.meijo-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Ichitomo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Miwa
authors.forename: Sakiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000737:chemistry*; D005615:Freezing; D006003:Glycogen / Q000032:analysis*; D006403:Hematologic Tests / Q000379:methods*; D006461:Hemolysis; D006801:Humans; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D006003:Glycogen