Effect of norepinephrine on gluconeogenesis in perfused livers of cold-exposed rats

The effects of norepinephrine and glucagon on gluconeogenesis were studied in hemoglobin-free perfused liver from rats kept for 1-20 days at 4 degrees C. When rats were starved for 24 h at 4 degrees C, the plasma glucose level of rats exposed to cold for 5, 10, and 20 days was significantly higher than that of rats for 1 day, but hepatic glycogen decreased to the same level in all groups. In the isolated perfused liver, basal rates of oxygen consumption and glucose production increased slightly through 5 days of cold exposure and returned to control levels after 20 days of cold exposure. The rates of glucose production from lactate, pyruvate, sorbitol, and glycerol increased by 20-30% after 5 days of cold exposure. The stimulation of gluconeogenesis from these substrates by norepinephrine and phenylephrine increased markedly at all time periods from 1 to 20 days in the cold, with a maximum at 5 days. The stimulation of glycogenolysis by norepinephrine was not affected by cold exposure. The response to catecholamines decreased markedly in liver perfused with calcium-free medium and/or with phentolamine. The stimulation of gluconeogenesis by glucagon increased only in rats exposed to cold for 20 days. The results obtained suggest that the stimulation of hepatic gluconeogenesis by cold is due to an alpha-adrenergic response, and the activation occurs beyond the interaction of norepinephrine with its receptor.