Laboratory Animals > Volume 34, Number 3 > Pp. 301-306

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Levine, S. Articles by Saltzman, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Social Bookmarking                      What's this?

Papers

Feeding sugar overnight maintains metabolic homeostasis in rats and is preferable to overnight starvation

Seymour Levine and Arthur Saltzman

Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA; Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA

Rats are often starved overnight for many different reasons. Overnight starvation causes loss of body and liver weights, depletion of liver glycogen, decrease of blood glucose and loss of amino acids because of gluconeogenesis. Providing pure sucrose cubes as the sole overnight nutrient is a simple, inexpensive way to empty the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, while minimizing liver changes and preventing decrease of blood glucose and loss of amino acids. Adding sugars to the overnight drinking water as the sole nutrient has the same beneficial effects, provided the type of sugar and its concentration allow for sufficient intake and provided hyponatremia is avoided. Feeding sucrose cubes or sugar solutions will empty the gastrointestinal tract as effectively as starvation. In all instances, simple precautions against coprophagy and pica should be taken in order to secure optimal benefit.

Key Words: BLOOD GLUCOSE • BLOOD UREA • BRIEF STARVATION • GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT • GLUCONEOGENESIS • LIVER GLYCOGEN • SUCROSE DIET

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?