Decrease in Glucokinase and Glucose-6-phosphatase and Increase in Hexokinase in Putative Preneoplastic Lesions of Rat Liver

Preneoplastic liver lesions were produced in female Wistar rats by oral administration of 2-acetylaminofluorene for 165 days succeeded by a carcinogen-free standard diet up to 420 days. During the treatment numerous altered hepatic foci (AHF) and hyperplastic nodules (HN) were detected histochemically by a focal decrease or lack of adenosine-5-triphosphatase and glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-Pase) activities. In addition, the immunohistochemically demonstrable amount of L-type pyruvate kinase was clearly reduced. The histochemically demonstrated decrease of G-6-Pase was substantiated by microbiochemical determination of the enzyme activity in microdissected material. Moreover, during the experimental period a continuous decrease in glucokinase and an increase in hexokinase was detected microbiochemically within AHF and HN. These alterations indicate a shift in the carbohydrate metabolism from gluconeogenesis to glucose utilization and pentose-phosphate-pathway for biosynthesis of nucleic acids. Beside other oncofetal markers, HK may be used as indicator of the early stages of liver carcinogenesis.