Previous Issues

Institute of Medical Technology, Baghdad

Department of Zoology, University of Kuwait

Abstract.

In vitro effect of insulin on carbohydrate metabolism in adult Fasciola gigantical was studied. The hormone was tested at concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 2 IU/ml; even the lower one is far higher than levels which would be encountered by the parasite in tissue fluids of its vertebrate host. The results obtained show that these flukes metabolize exogenous glucose at a very high rate, and that, on the whole, the tissues of the parasite contain large amounts of reserve glycogen. The results also show that insulin had no significant action on the rate of glucose absorption, or glycogen turnover, in this trematode species.