Renal gluconeogenesis in clofibrate-treated rats.

Clofibrate was administered in the diet (0.3% w/w) for varying periods of time to normal rats. Rats were killed by decapitation and several biochemical measurements were made. Clofibrate lowered serum levels of cholesterol and triglyceride and produced a kidney hypertrophy; these effects were maximal after 3 days of feeding and persisted for 21 days. Serum clofibric acid levels were highest on the 3rd day and decreased to maintenance levels by the 7th day. Clofibrate markedly increased the activities of glucose 6-phosphatase, pyruvate carboxylase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase in kidney cortex and the synthesis of glucose from glutamate, lactate, pyruvate, glycerol and malate by kidney cortex slices. Clofibrate treatment did not affect blood pH or bicarbonate levels. It is concluded that clofibrate enhances renal gluconeogenesis in the rat and that the effect is not caused by altering acid-base balance.

Assessment of diabetogenic drug activity in the rat: 5,5-diphenyl-2-thiohydantoin.

The diabetogenic activity of 5,5-diphenyl-2-thiohydantoin (DPTH) via oral administration was assessed in both normal and streptozotocin diabetic rats. Rats were fed powdered chow diet with and without 0.1% (w/w) DPTH. Food consumption and body weight were recorded every other day; whole blood glucose concentrations were determined at the start of the study and at the midpoint. At sacrifice, liver and pancreas were excised and blood samples were collected. Protein and lipid levels were determined in liver; insulin in pancreas; and glucose, insulin, and lipid in blood. DPTH treatment caused decreased food consumption and body weight gain. The drug dose, calculated from the food consumption data, was 76.5 mg/kg/day for the normal rats and 107 mg/kg/day for the diabetic rats. DPTH increased liver weight and liver lipid content in both normal and diabetic rats, and markedly lowered serum triglyceride concentration in normal rats but not in diabetic rats. Serum fatty acid concentration was not altered by DPTH. DPTH produced a significant elevation of blood glucose concentration of the diabetic rats that was not, however, correlated with altered pancreatic insulin concentration. In vitro, DPTH infusion inhibited insulin secretion by the perfused pancreas.

Influence of 1,3-butanediol on blood glucose concentration and pancreatic insulin content of streptozotocin-diabetic rats.

Male rats were made diabetic by intravenous administration of 75 mg/kg of streptozotocin and were fed, via a pair-feeding regimen, high-fat diets +/- 1,3-butanediol (BD) at 13.5 and 27% of the dietary calories for 30 days and 31 days, respectively. 1,3-Butanediol was added to the diets primarily as a replacement for fat. Food consumption and rat weight were recorded daily. Whole blood glucose concentrations were determined weekly. At sacrifice, liver, pancreas and epididymal fat pads were excised and blood samples were collected. Liver was analyzed for protein and lipid; pancreas was weighed and analyzed for insulin; fat pads were weighed and discarded; and blood was analyzed for glucose and lipid. The 13.5% BD diet increased the beta-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate and cholesterol concentrations, decreased the glucose concentration in blood, and increased the insulin content of the pancreas. The BD diets did not affect the concentrations of phospholipid, triglyceride, cholesterol and fatty acid in the liver; fatty acid concentrations in the blood; or the epididymal fat pad weight. The results suggest that BD produced a slight amelioration of the diabetic condition, which may have resulted from an increased capacity of the pancreas to synthesize insulin. In addition, the data provide further evidence suggesting that in the rat BD is oxidized to the ketone bodies, beta-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate.

Effects of 5,5'-diphenyl-2-thiohydantoin on respiration and oxidative phosphorylation of rat liver mitochondria.

5,5'-Diphenyl-2-thiohydantoin (DPTH) administered in vitro, inhibited state 3 oxidation, stimulated state 4 oxidation and decreased ADP:O ratio when 3-hydroxybutyrate and succinate were used as substrates. Considerably lower DPTH concentrations were required for the inhibition of 3-hydroxybutyrate oxidation (50% inhibition occurred at approximately 0.17 mumoles DPTH/mg protein) than were needed for inhibition of succinate oxidation (50% inhibition occurred at about 0.62 mumoles DPTH/mg protein). DPTH showed no inhibitory effects when ascorbate plus tetramethylphenylenediamine (TMPD) served as the substrate. The inhibition of state 3 respiration was not reversed by 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), although there was a slight increase in the DNP rate:state 3 rate suggesting the presence of a weak DPTH inhibotory site located within the Site I energy transport chain. Uncoupling, in the presence of DPTH, was observed with all substrates. In experiments utilizing sonicated mitochondria, DPTH inhibited NADH-linked oxidation, but did not inhibit succinate or ascorbate plus TMPD oxidation. The effects of DPTH were reversed by dilution and by addition of albumin. DPTH concentrations which produced inhibition of state 3 respiration in vitro were reached, in vivo, in the livers of rats receiving a single oral dose of 40 mg/kg of DPTH.