Liver Glycogen Content in Man in the Postabsorptive State

Abstract

The liver glycogen content was determined in 58 healthy subjects in the post-absorptive state after a period of ad lib diet. Liver tissue samples were taken with the Menghini needle biopsy technique. The glycogen content ranged from 14.3 g to 80.1 g per kg wet liver tissue, mean 43.7. The total nitrogen content of the liver tissue was also used as a reference for the expression of glycogen content. The amount of water stored together with glycogen was calculated to be 2.4 g water per g glycogen.

Key Words:

• Biopsy
• human
• liver glycogen
• quantitative