Metabolism ofD-[1-13C]glucose in livers ofMeriones unguiculatusinfected withEchinococcus multilocularis

Abstract

Following administration of [1-13C]glucose, sequential13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in situ spectra were obtained from the liver of uninfected jirds (Meriones unguiculatus) and those infected with Echinococcus multilocularis over a period of 2 h. Quantitative evaluation of the flow of labelled carbon through the liver at 80 and 120 min after glucose administration revealed that although the percentage of labelled glucose utilized by the liver was the same for both groups, glycogen synthesis differed. At both times, the livers of infected animals had incorporated a smaller percentage of the [1-13C]glucose into glycogen labelled at C1and a larger percentage into the C6position of glucose/glycogen. In another experiment, identical with respect to the substrate administered, NMR analysis of perchloric acid extracts revealed that the livers of infected animals had lower concentrations of labelled glucose and glycogen and higher concentrations of labelled alanine and lactate than those of uninfected controls. Concentration differences were also noted for some of the unlabelled metabolites. Echinococcus multilocularis cysts contained the same labelled metabolites as the livers but the concentration of lactate was much higher. Parasite cysts also contained labelled acetate.