Studies on citrate metabolism in liver injuries. 2. Response of liver citrate to glucose load.

The effect of glucose load on the levels of blood glucose, serum non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and liver citrate was investigated in carbontetrachloride-intoxicated (injured) rats and compared with non-intoxicated controls. The citrate level in the liver from injured animals showed 15-fold of the value of the control. Glucose load on these animals caused gradual decrease in the citrate level, whereas similar administration to the control caused inverse results. The serum NEFA levels were lowered by glucose load in both of injured and control animals. The pattern of changes in the citrate level after glucose load in the liver from injured animals was similar to that in the muscle from the control, suggesting a similarity on citrate metabolism between the injured liver and the muscle. The possible mechanisms for these results were discussed in relation to the difference in citrate metabolism between the liver and the muscle.