American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 27, 1204-1211, Copyright © 1974 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Dietary sucrose and DNA formation in rat liver and kidney with starch

¹ From the Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Male, weanling rats were fed for 6 and 14 days on diets containing 68% sucrose or 68% starch, then the liver and kidneys were examined for the amount and rate of formation of DNA, and also for content of fat, protein, and moisture. Food intake and weight gain were estimated. Sucrose-fed animals had heavier livers and kidneys than starch-fed animals. Food intake and weight gain were similar on both diets. The enlargement of the liver after 6 days was due mainly to increase in cell number calculated from DNA content. Whereas after 14 days the enlargement was mostly due to increase in cell size. The proportion of protein and moisture in the liver of sucrose-fed animals was less than in the starch-fed ones, whereas fat content was 25% higher. Sucrose feeding had no effect in 6 days on weight of kidneys, but after 14 days heavier kidneys were produced. Examination of cortex showed no difference in cell number or cell size. Twenty-four hours before killing, the animals were injected intraperitoneally with ³H-thymidine. Radioactive count was too low, the results too variable for any conclusions to be drawn.