title: Metabolism of liver triacylglycerols in rats tube-fed a threonine-devoid diet.
abstract: Rats tube-fed a diet devoid of threonine accumulated triacylglycerols in their livers, starting on the third day of the diet. The fatty acid composition of the accumulated lipid and the contribution of novo synthesized fatty acids to the lipid accumulation, as determined with tritiated water as a radioactive precursor for fatty acid synthesis, suggested that an increased hepatic de novo synthesis of fatty acids is not a major factor for the development of this liver lipid accumulation. The metabolism of intravenous injected 3H-oleic acid, the Triton-induced hyperlipemia and the activity of lipoprotein lipase in adipose tissue was also studied. None of these studies revealed any significant difference between the threonine-deficient and control rats. It is concluded that the hepatic triacylglycerol accumulation in the threonine-deficient rats does not result from any gross abnormality in the rate of liver triacylglycerol formation or secretion to the plasma. It is suggested that a possible causative mechanism is a derangement in the metabolism of the storage pool of liver triacylglycerols.
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D008071:Lipoprotein Lipase / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D013912:Threonine / Q000172:deficiency*; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D014280:Triglycerides; D013912:Threonine; D008071:Lipoprotein Lipase