Proton and carbon NMR spectroscopic analysis of rat liver postnatal development.
BACKGROUND
In the present paper compositional changes of rat liver from birth to adult age were investigated by proton and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.


METHODS
The water-soluble and organic (lipid) fraction of pooled liver tissue from rats aged 1,7, 21 days, and 5 months were extracted according to Folch's method and analysed by proton and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 500 MHz. Phospholipids separated by chromatography from the organic fraction were also analysed.


RESULTS
In proton spectra of the water-soluble fraction several metabolites were identified. Developmental changes in the ratio between betaine and choline and between 3-hydroxybutyrate and several other organic acids were shown. In proton spectra of the total organic fraction, signals from fatty acids chain, phophocholine and glycerol were assigned unambiguously. Phospholipids fatty acid acyl chain length, mean unsaturation and mean polyunsaturation increased from birth to weaning. The relative amounts of unsaturated fatty acids did not show obvious changes during the investigated period.


CONCLUSIONS
This study shows that NMR spectroscopy is a useful tool to investigate postnatal developmental changes in the liver chemical constituents with a minimum of preparative procedures.
Centre of Experimental NMR, DSMB, Section of Anatomy and Histology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy. carlo.zancanaro@univr.it
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Zancanaro
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Righetti
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Bolner
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