Effect of glucagon on glucose output from bivascularly perfused rat liver

Glucose output was investigated in bivascularly perfused rat liver. Flow rate was 1 ml/min/g from hepatic artery and 2 ml/min/g from portal vein. Basal glucose output (130 +/- 30 microM/min) from bivascularly perfused liver was significantly (p less than 0.02) higher than that (80 +/- 20 microM/min) from usual monovascularly perfused (3 ml/min/g from portal vein) liver. However, glucagon-induced (1 ng/ml) increment in glucose output from bivascularly perfused liver 589 +/- 127 microM/30 min) was not significantly different from that (630 +/- 127 microM/30 min) of monovascularly perfused liver. These results suggest that glucagon-dependent glucose output was similar in monovascularly and bivascularly perfused rat liver, and that arterial blood supply may have some role in glycogenolysis in the perfused rat liver.