Fatty acid synthesis by rat liver after chronic ethanol feeding with a low-fat diet.
1. Chronic alcohol feeding with a low-fat diet (4.4% total calories) produced a two- to three-fold increase in hepatic triacylglycerol and esterified cholesterol compared with pair-fed low-fat diet controls. Plasma lipids were similar in both groups. 2. Hepatic fatty acid synthesis rates measured in vivo with 3H2O were significantly lower in the alcohol-fed animals than in controls. Activities of hepatic fatty acid synthase (EC 2.3.1.85) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (EC 6.4.1.2) were reduced in the alcohol-fed rats. 3. These results indicate that enhanced hepatic fatty acid synthesis does not occur in rats fed alcohol and a low-fat diet for 4 weeks, and is thus not implicated in the pathogenesis of alcohol-induced fatty liver.
Division of Clinical Cell Biology, MRC Clinical Research Centre, Harrow, Middlesex, U.K.
K J
KJ
Simpson
S
S
Venkatesan
T J
TJ
Peters
D000103:Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase / Q000378:metabolism; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D018752:Diet, Fat-Restricted; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases / Q000378:metabolism; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000209:etiology; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D005227:Fatty Acids; D008055:Lipids; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases; D000103:Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase