GLUCOSE OVER-UTILIZATION IN DIABETES - EVIDENCE FROM STUDIES ON THE CHANGES IN HEXOKINASE, THE PENTOSE-PHOSPHATE PATHWAY AND GLUCURONATE-XYLULOSE PATHWAY IN RAT-KIDNEY CORTEX IN DIABETES

Kidney cortex from alloxan-diabetic rats has an elevated activity of hexokinase, enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway and of certain enzymes of the glucuronate-xylulose route relative to age-matched control rats. These changes are highly significant when expressed as total kidney units/100 g body weight, a parameter relating biochemical activity to the functional requirement of the whole animal. These changes are discussed in relation to the hypothesis of 'glucose over-utilization' in diabetes in tissues not requiring insulin for glucose uptake [R.G. Spiro (1976) Diabetologia 12, 1-14]. © 1979.