CHANGES IN PHOSPHATE AND CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM IN SHOCK

The Concentration of Adenosinetriphosphate (ATP) Citrate and Calcium in Blood During Insulin Shock Therapy

Concentration changes of blood constituents other than glucose occurring during hypoglycaemia, and particularly during insulin shock therapy, have been studied by several authors (e.g., Harris, Blalock and Horwitz, 1938; Katzenelbogen et al., 1939) though not always with concordant results. One of the most constant features of insulin hypoglycaemia is a decrease in the level of inorganic phosphate during the phase of blood-sugar fall and a gradual return to normal after the blood-sugar curve has reached its lowest value. This fact which was described soon after the discovery of insulin (see Cori (1931) for a review of the older literature) is generally attributed to the increased phosphate esterification consequent upon the enhancement of glucose utilisation and is in harmony with the current concept that the function of insulin is primarily that of a promotor of glucose phosphorylation.