Metabolism of adipose tissue in vitro.
It has been shown [Hoffman.& Wertheimer, 1927; Tuerkischer & Wertheimer, 1941] that' glycogen accumulates in the adipose tissues of fasted animals which are placed on a carbohydrate-high diet. Glycogen appears in the adipose tissue of fasted rats soon after the first carbohydrate meal, but is transient and disappears 4 days later giving way to fat. It was suggested from this and from other experiments that glycogen could be transformed into fat by adipose tissue. Confirmation of this conclusion by experiments in vitro, which might throw further light on the question whether adipose tissue can form glycogen and build its fat from carbohydrate seemed desirable. Part I of this communication presents experiments on the breakdown and synthesis of glycogen by adipose tissue; Part II summarizes experiments on the respiratory activity and respiration quotient of normal and hunger-fat in the absence and presence of carbohydrates.