Effect of Adrenocortical Adenocarcinoma on Glycogen Deposition In Rat Liver

Abstract

Liver glycogen was determined under standard conditions on intact and adrenalectomized rats with or without adrenocortical adenocarcinoma transplants. Some of these tumor-bearing rats were treated with cortisol acetate before glycogen determination. Liver glycogen was also determined on rats bearing an osteosarcoma or a hepatoma transplant. There was little glycogen deposition in the livers of the hepatoma-bearing rats. Livers of these animals were jaundiced and rats were anemic and did not respond to cortisol. The rats bearing adrenal adenocarcinoma had lower glycogen deposition than the rats bearing osteosarcoma, a non-hormone tumor. This indicates lack of glucocorticoid secretion by this tumor, detectable by liver glycogen deposition. In adrenalectomized rats, animals bearing adrenal adenocarcinoma has lower glycogen deposition than in those without tumors, again indicating lack of glucocorticoid secretion.