PHYSIOLOGY AND REPRODUCTION Analysis of Liver Glycogen in Chicks

ABSTRACT The glycogen levels in homogenates from livers from 3- to 4-week-old broilers were measured using alkaline digestion and ethanol precipitation followed by direct hydrolysis with amyloglucosidase. Glycogen was determined with glucose oxidase. Glycogen levels were not af-fected by rapid freezing in liquid nitrogen and storage at —IOC. Glycogen was stabile at 4 C for at least 1 hr; however, at room temperature, over 50 % of the glycogen was lost within 1 hr. Homoge-nization with.05 M ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) prevented this loss. Liver glycogen decreased rapidly (within 1 hr) after feed withdrawal and was sometimes undetectable within 2 hr. There was considerable variation in glycogen levels among individual birds. Liver glycogen levels were up to 50 % higher at 1100 than at 0800 hr. (Key words: chickens, liver glycogen