INFLUENCE OF SEVERAL CHINESE DRUGS ON THE GLYCOGEN SYNTHESIZING FUNCTION OF PRIMARY CULTURED ADULT RAT HEPATOCYTES

The influence of several Chinese drugs on the glycogen synthesizing function of normal and carbon tetrachloride-injured hepatocytes was investigated. Hepatocytes prepared from rats fasted for 16 h were incubated with 50 mmol/L glucose. Glycogen content was determined 30 and 90 min after incubation with normal and CCl₄-injured cells, respectively. Insulin was used as positive control which increased glycogen content and the data coincided with that in the literature. The following results were obtained (1) Biphenyl-dimethyl-dicarboxylate (BDD) in 100μg/ml concentration increased glycogen content of normal hepatoeytes by 88%.It protected cells against CCl₄-injury:BDD 10μg/ml remarkably decreased CCl₄-induced reduction of glycogen and 100μg/ml showed complete protection.(2)Tremella polysaccharide slightly increased glycogen content in normal cells,but in a concentration of 100 μg/ml it decreased CCl₄-induced reduction of glycogen significantly. (3) Low concentration of norcantharidin (10μg/ml) increased glycogen content of normal cells, but at 100μg/ml concentration this effect disappeared. Furthermore, it intensified the toxic effect of CCl₄ on glycogen at 10～100μg/ml. (4) CL₁₅₀₀ (100μg/ml) increased glycogen content of normal cells, but it intensified CCl₄-injury effect on glycogen at the same concentration.