MECHANISM OF DEPLETION OF LIVER-GLYCOGEN IN CANCER CACHEXIA

Mice transplanted with a cachexia-inducing colonic adenocarcinoma (MAC 16) show a progressive decrease in liver glycogen in direct proportion to the loss of body weight. Such tumours elaborate a lipid mobilizing factor (LMF), which produces a dose-dependent stimulation, not only o f adipocyte adenylate cyclase, but also of heptocyte adenylate cyclase in a GTP-dependent manner. These results suggest that LMF has the cap acity to initiate hepatic glycogenolysis through an increase in cyclic AMP. (C) 1997 Academic Press.