Carbohydrate metabolism in rats with chronic uremia

¹ Department of Medicine, Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

In order to evaluate the effects of the chronic uremic syndrome upon some aspects of carbohydrate metabolism in vivo, determinations of gastric and intestinal glucose absorption, and of hepatic glycogen deposition were made in 39 chronically uremic rats and in 49 litter-mate controls. A surgical method for producing chronic uremia was developed. Rats fasted for 24 hours were given a glucose gavage of standard concentration. Three hours later residual gastric and intestinal glucose content and liver glycogen content were determined. No statistically significant difference between the two groups was found in either glucose absorption from the gastrointestinal tract or in glycogen deposition.