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Metabolism of Glucose, Fructose and Xylitol in Normal and Streptozotocin-Diabetic Rats

Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Dentistry, University of Turku, SF-20520 Turku 52, Finland

The possible antiketotic effect of xylitol and fructose, and the effect of these carbohydrates on the levels of ascorbic acid(s) and certain hormones were studied with male rats fed for a period of 30 days a diet supplemented with either glucose (G), fructose (F) or xylitol (X) (average daily intake 3000 mg/kg) or the basal diet containing no added carbohydrates. After this period one-half of the animals was killed and samples of serum, liver and pancreas were collected. The other half was rendered diabetic by the intravenous injection of streptozotocin (65 mg/kg). The original feeding schedule was then continued for 5 days in all four diabetic groups before the collection of tissue samples. Feeding the nondiabetic rats with F and X retarded the body weight development significantly compared with the nonsugar group. The weight reductions after streptozotocin injection were similar in all feeding groups. All diabetic animals exhibited increased pancreatic lipase activities and decreased insulin levels. The concentrations of 3-OH-butyrate and acetoacetate increased in the serum and livers of the diabetic rats regardless of the type of carbohydrate consumed, with glucose elevating these concentrations least. Feeding of X was associated with decreased serum glucagon levels in nondiabetic rats and decreased liver ascorbic acid levels both in nondiabetic and diabetic rats. Ingestion of F strongly reduced liver pyruvate concentrations in nondiabetic animals, but caused in diabetic animals the highest liver pyruvate concentration. These results indicate that X and F were not antiketogenic at the consumption levels used. The diabetic state was considered to be so dominating that significant differences in serum and liver parameters between the feeding groups were found in fewer cases than in the nondiabetic state.

KEY WORDS: • glucose • fructose • xylitol • streptozotocin-diabetes • liver metabolites • pancreas metabolites • serum metabolites • feeding trials

Manuscript received 8 March 1981.