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Skeletal muscle glycogen content in patients with cirrhosis
Author(s) -
Selberg Oliver,
Radoch Eva,
Walter Gerhard Franz,
Müller Manfred James
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.1840200121
Subject(s) - cirrhosis , glycogen , skeletal muscle , medicine
We investigated stable cirrhotic patients for muscle glycogen content. Muscle biopsy samples were taken of 14 patients after overnight fasting. Electron microscopy showed normal intracellular distribution of glycogen (n=8). Muscle glycogen concentration was 16.5 ± 7.1 gm/kg wet muscle weight (normal range, 10 to 20 gm/kg). Basal, early postabsorptive, exerciseinduced and insulin‐induced respiratory quotients as well as insulin sensitivity (euglycemic clamp technique, 7.2 pmol insulin/kg body weight/min) and glucose tolerance were assessed. The glucose disposal rate was 23.0 ± 10.1 μmol/kg/min (mean ± S.D.), indicating moderate insulin resistance in these patients. We found no association between basal muscle glycogen content and basal or postprandial respiratory quotient, insulin sensitivity, nutritional status or glucose tolerance. However, there was a positive correlation between muscle glycogen content and exercise, as well as insulin‐induced respiratory quotient (r=0.651, p<0.03 and r=0.587, p<0.03, respectively). We conclude that postabsorptive muscle glycogen stores, which are effectively maintained in patients with cirrhosis, are one determinant of exercise‐induced and insulin‐induced whole body fuel metabolism in these patients. (Hepatology 1994;20:135–141.)