[Effects of parotidectomy on the blood sugar level and hepatic glycogen (author's transl].

Abstract

This work was carried out in order to investigate the influence of parotid glands on the metabolism of carbohydrates in the rat. The animals were selected by age (10, 20, 30 and 40 days-old) and distributed in 3 experimental groups as follows: Group I -- Parotidectomized animals; Group II -- Sham-parotidectomized animals; and Group III -- Control animals. The animals from all the groups were sacrificed 20 days after the beginning of the experiment. From the discussion of the results it was observed that the parotidectomized animals at 20, 30 and 40 days have presented significantly larger glycaemic means than control animals. These control animals, by the other hand, have also presented significantly larger glycaemic means than sham-parotidectomized animals. Concerning the 10 days-old animals, the statistical analysis have not showed any significance among the three groups. The results obtained from hepatic glycogen dosages, in the same animals, have showed a coherence, because the animals that have presented larger glycaemic levels, have also presented less hepatic glycogen content; contrarily, the animals that have presented a less glycaemic levels, have also presented a larger amount of hepatic glycogen.