Glycogen is a branched polysaccharide, made of glucose units that serves as the primary source of energy storage in animals. Most of the glucose residues in glycogen are linked by 1,4-glycosidic bonds with branching via 1,6 linkage. In mammals, the two major sites of glycogen storage are liver and skeletal muscle. In liver, glycogen synthesis and degradation are regulated to maintain blood-glucose levels, while stored glycogen in muscle can be processed to meet the energy needs of the muscle itself. Abnormal ability to utilize glycogen is found in patients suffering diabetes and other genetic glycogen storage related diseases. Assay Genie Glycogen Colorimetric Assay Kit is an easy and convenient assay to measure glycogen levels in biological samples. In the assay, glucoamylase hydrolyzes the glycogen releasing glucose which is then specifically oxidized to produce a product that reacts with GenieRed Probe to generate color (OD 590 nm). The method is quantitative, rapid, simple, sensitive, and designed for high throughput format. The assay can detect as low as 0.025 µg of glycogen in 384-well assay format.

Figure: (a) Glycogen Standard Curve: (b) Glycogen in rat liver lysate. Rat liver (17 mg) was homogenized with 680 µl of deionized water, boiled for 10 min, and then centrifuged for 10 min. at 18000 x g. Supernatant was collected. Supernatant was diluted 10 times and 5 µl was used for the assay following the kit’s protocol. Sample was spiked with 0.2 µg of Glycogen Standard.