Hepatic glucose disposition during concomitant portal glucose and amino acid infusions in the dog.

The effect of concomitant intraportal infusion of glucose and gluconeogenic amino acids (AA) on net hepatic glucose uptake (NHGU) and glycogen synthesis was examined in 42-h-fasted dogs. After a basal period, there was a 240-min experimental period during which somatostatin was infused continuously into a peripheral vein and insulin and glucagon (at 3-fold basal and basal rates, respectively) and glucose (18.3 μmol ⋅ kg-1 ⋅ min-1) were infused intraportally. One group (PoAA, n = 7) received an AA mixture intraportally at 7.6 μmol ⋅ kg-1 ⋅ min-1, whereas the other group (NoAA, n = 6) did not receive AA. Arterial blood glucose concentrations and hepatic glucose loads were the same in the two groups. NHGU averaged 4.8 ± 2.0 (PoAA) and 9.4 ± 2.0 (NoAA) μmol ⋅ kg-1 ⋅ min-1( P < 0.05), and tracer-determined hepatic glucose uptake was 4.6 ± 1.6 (PoAA) and 10.0 ± 1.7 (NoAA) μmol ⋅ kg-1 ⋅ min-1( P < 0.05). AA data for PoAA and NoAA, respectively, were as follows: arterial blood concentrations, 1,578 ± 133 vs. 1,147 ± 86 μM ( P < 0.01); hepatic loads, 56 ± 3 vs. 32 ± 4 μmol ⋅ kg-1 ⋅ min-1( P < 0.01); and net hepatic uptakes, 14.1 ± 1.4 vs. 5.6 ± 0.4 μmol ⋅ kg-1 ⋅ min-1( P < 0.01). The rate of net hepatic glycogen synthesis was 7.5 ± 1.9 (PoAA) vs. 10.7 ± 2.3 (NoAA) μmol ⋅ kg-1 ⋅ min-1( P = 0.1). In a net sense, intraportal gluconeogenic amino acid delivery directed glucose carbon away from the liver. Despite this, net hepatic carbon uptake was equivalent in the presence and absence of amino acid infusion.