Effects of hormones and serum on glycogen metabolism in adult rat liver parenchymal cell primary cultures.

Parenchymal cells from adult rat liver, isolated by a collagenase perfusion technique, have been maintained in primary culture and a detailed study on carbohydrate metabolism carried out over the initial 48-hour culture period. The glucose concentration of the medium exerts a major influence on glycogen accumulation by the cells. Insulin, particularly at high glucose concentrations, stimulates glycogen biosynthesis, whereas glucagon prevents glycogen accumulation. Dexamethasone was without effect on glycogen metabolism. Glucose appears to stimulate glycogen accumulation by activation of glycogen synthetase enzyme. However, there is a gradual loss of synthetase activity throughout the culture period. Similar decreases in activity were noted for pyruvate kinase, aldolase and hexokinase. Glucose, insulin and dexamethasone were unable to prevent these decreases in enzyme activity. Foetal bovine serum contains fructose and this hexose appears to be the factor in serum which is responsible for the activation of glycogen accumulation in the presence of physiological glucose concentrations. The lactic acid content of the serum may also stimulate glycogen accumulation. In general, there is a gradual loss of the pattern of carbohydrate metabolism typical of differentiated hepatocytes during the culture period.