Abstract
Effects of alloxan, reduced food intake, starvation and biopsy procedure on the deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) content of rat liver tetraploid nuclei have been investigated. It was found that: (1) Alloxan treatment resulted in an increased amount of DNA. (2) Reduced food intake of treated animals Played no part in this increase. (3) Complete starvation for a period of six days did not effect the amount of DNA in these nuclei. (4) An increased amount of DNA was found in tetraploid nuclei of rat liver 13 days after removal of a small biopsy sample.
The increased DNA in tetraploid liver nuclei of alloxan diabetic rats may be explained on the basis of regeneration of liver tissue due to some submicroscopic liver damage caused by the drug.