Effect of chronic hypoxia and high sucrose diet on body weights and glycolytic enzyme activities in liver, heart, and gastrocnemius of Sprague-Dawley and Wistar rats.

Pyruvate kinase and glucosephosphate isomerase activities were measured in liver, heart, and gastrocnemius of Sprague-Dawley and Wistar rats subjected to chronic hypoxia. Animals were fed Purina chow or a high sucrose diet. In terms of changes in body weight, Sprague-Dawleys acclimated better on Purina chow whereas Wistars adjusted better on the high sucrose diet. These two groups had the lowest heart weight:body weight ratios. Only heart enzyme activities were above levels of pair-fed controls in both strains with hypoxia. Diet affected enzyme activities in hypoxic animals: for rats on high sucrose diet, pyruvate kinase activity was greater in all tissues of both strains except gastrocnemius of Sprague-Dawleys; glucosephosphate isomerase was higher in liver of both strains and only gastrocnemius of Wistars.