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1. Acute galactosamine (Gal) hepatitis was induced in rats drinking ad libitum either sodic bicarbonated water of Vichy Grande Grille (GG) or ordinary tap water (OH2). Two series of experiments were performed. 2. In the first series, Gal-induced hepatitis was moderate. Twenty four hours after IP Gal injection, GG treated rats had relative to OH2 treated rats a decrease of bile flow and BSP excretion, and an increase of serum transaminase and bilirubin. Seven days after Gal the liver had returned to normal except for an increase in biliary bilirubin and liver total lipids. 3. In the second series, Gal-induced hepatitis was severe. Twenty four hours after galactosamine administration, an increase in mortality after anesthesia was found in Gal/GG rats. An increase of liver size and total hepatic lipids was also observed, while bile secretion, BSP excretion, cyt P 450 and ARN decreased in Gal/GG rats. Steatosis and inflammatory reactions were more important in Gal/GG than in Gal/OH2 rats. Most parameters came back to their normal levels in two days in Gal/OH2 rats, while 7 days were generally necessary in Gal/GG treated animals. Hepatic DNA kept increasing in Gal/GG animals and was still higher after 7 days, maybe due to a greater inflammatory reaction in the liver, maybe following a stimulated hepatocyte regenerative response. 4. These results indicate that GG water is not an inoffensive salt solution.

The aim of this study was to compare the stimulation of the external pancreatic secretion induced in rats by two glucose analogs: 5-thio-glucose (5-TG) and 2-deoxy-glucose (2-DG). In rats with an acute pancreatic fistula, 5-TG and 2-DG induced a dose-related increase in outputs of sodium (reflecting the volume), bicarbonate and total protein of the pancreatic juice. The efficacy of both drugs was not significantly different. Maximal responses were obtained with 75 mg/kg 5-TG and 225 mg/kg 2-DG and were approximately 3.5 x (sodium), 5 x (bicarbonate) and 8.5 x (protein) the basal level. Dose-response curves to 5-TG were shifted to the left with respect to 2-DG. The DE50 was approximately 25 mg/kg for 5-TG and 60 mg/kg for 2-DG. The molar potency ratio was 2.5 x, 3.1 x and 3.3 x in favor of 5-TG, for sodium, bicarbonate and protein respectively. The potency, but not the efficacy, of 5-TG is thus greater than that of 2-DG in stimulating external pancreatic secretion.

Two types of pancreatic fistulas were directly compared in Wistar rats, to define more accurately the differences between collecting pancreatic juice under anesthesia (acute fistula) and in awake restrained animals (chronic fistula). Basal outputs of water, bicarbonate and total protein were about then times larger in chronic than in acute animals; they could be larger than the maximal secretory rate in anaesthetized rats. As a corollary, the chronic preparation was less sensitive to ecbolic and hydrelatic stimulations, with respect to basal levels. It is concluded that chronic fistula rats display a highly stimulated state of pancreatic secretion, probably due to the potentiation of several neurohumoral factors. Whatever this stimulation originates from, it renders the model less suitable for studies on ancreatic stimulating agents. On the contrary, anaesthetized rats displayed a low secretion more responsive to stimulating agents.

The regenerating rat liver after partial hepatectomy was used as a model to study the effects of an hypolipidaemic drugs, tiadenol (bis hydroxyethylthio 1--10 decane). Seven days after partial hepatectomy, liver weight, DNA, RNA, total protein and cytochrome P-450 were increased in tiadenol treated rats, relative to hepatectomized controls. Tiadenol displaying similar effects on the intact liver, it is concluded that this hypolipidaemic drug maintains its hepatomegalic action on the regenerating rat liver.