Storage of glycogen in rat colonic epithelium during induction of secretion and absorption in vitro.

Changes induced in the ultrastructure of the epithelium of the rat colon descendens by long-term electric field stimulation (EFS) in an Ussing chamber were investigated. The anion secretion, which was induced by EFS and was measured by the short-circuit current, fell continuously during a 5 h stimulation. At the end of the stimulation period, small particles were observed in the epithelium; these did not appear in unstimulated control tissue. They were localized predominantly in the apical part of the cell. By staining with periodic acid-thiosemicarbazide-silver proteinate and because of their sensitivity to alpha-amylase, they were identified as glycogen deposits. This storage of glycogen was time-dependent and was first visible after an EFS of 2 h. It did not appear if glucose was substituted in the bathing solution by sodium butyrate. Glycogen particles were also observed after addition of forskolin, which in contrast to EFS causes a high secretory activity that is stable over several hours. The surface cells contained significantly more glycogen than the crypt cells when secretion was stimulated by EFS or forskolin. The formation of glycogen during EFS was not prevented by tetrodotoxin (TTX). In contrast, TTX itself, which causes maximal absorptive activity by blocking secretomotor neurons, induced the appearance of glycogen in the enterocytes without EFS. However, in the presence of TTX, the amount of glycogen was the same in surface and crypt cells. The results demonstrate that the capacity to synthesize and store glycogen, which has up to now only been observed in embryonic or tumor epithelial cells, is still present in adult colonic mucosa.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)