Vacuolar Hepatocyte Degeneration Induced by Infusion of 20% Glucose Solution with Insulin after Hepatopancreatectomy in Rats

Abstract

To investigate the causes of hepatic dysfunction after extensive resection of the liver together with pancreatectomy, rats were subjected to sham operation, to 68% hepatectomy alone, to 90% pancreatectomy alone, or to 68% hepatectomy combined with 90% pancreatectomy (hepatopancreatectomy). Solutions of 5% or 20% glucose were infused post-operatively for 48 h at a constant rate (250 ml/kg body weight/day) under fasting conditions. To improve the survival rates of pancreatectomized and hepatopancreatectomized rats given 20% glucose, it was necessary to use insulin. In hepatopancreatectomized rats, infusion of 20% glucose with insulin (1 U/5 g glucose) induced prominent hepatocyte vacuolar degeneration and mitochondrial swelling, associated with reduced hepatic protein content. The severity of histological changes was proportional to the insulin dose and the activity of hepatic glucokinase, a key glycolytic enzyme. These histological changes were observed in pancreatectomized rats albeit in a milder form, but not in sham-operated or hepatectomized rats given 20% glucose nor in any rats given 5% glucose. Our results suggest that hepatopancreatectomy followed post-operatively by a high glucose load and exogenously administered insulin enhances the development of hepatocyte swelling.

Physiological and Histological Studies on the Effect of Lupine Seeds on the Fish, Clarias lazera Treated with Glucose and Alloxan

“…This concept is in harmony with that reported by Ling et al (2003). In addition, Kawata et al (2000) and Turner et al (2001) attributed the liver histological changes in sucrose-fed rats to the increased glycogen deposits. Furthermore, Clarias lazera is considered as glucose intolerant fish and consequently, the dietary excess glucose in the fish may be harmful more than in mammals.…”

“…Many studies have employed electron microscopy to follow changes in the liver of diabetic mammals with alloxan or streptozotocin (Kozyritskii and Minchenko 1978;Doi et al 1997). Moreover, most studies regarding the effect of administration of glucose on the histological changes in liver were carried out in mammals (Kawata et al 2000;Turner et al 2001;Ling et al 2003).…”

Liver-specificAquaporin 11knockout mice show rapid vacuolization of the rough endoplasmic reticulum in periportal hepatocytes after amino acid feeding

“…Altered oxidative states cause membrane lipid peroxidation, resulting in damage to and increased permeability of the biomembranes especially the mitochondrial and RER membranes. RER dilatation has been observed in liver following hypoxia (5) and in the regenerating liver of rats subject to partial hepatectomy and infused with high glucose/ high insulin, a treatment inducing oxidative stress (13). Administration of an antioxidative drug prevented the cell injury and vacuolar degeneration of the RER (28).…”