Hepatic lipid metabolism changes in short- and long-term prehepatic portal hypertensive rats.
OBJECTIVE
To verify the impairment of the hepatic lipid metabolism in prehepatic portal hypertension.


METHODS
The concentrations of free fatty acids, diacylglycerol, triglycerides, and phospholipids were assayed by using D-[U-14C] glucose incorporation in the different lipid fractions and thin-layer chromatography and cholesterol was measured by spectrophotometry, in liver samples of Wistar rats with partial portal vein ligation at short- (1 mo) and long-term (1 year) (i.e. portal hypertensive rats) and the control rats.


RESULTS
In the portal hypertensive rats, liver phospholipid synthesis significantly decreased (7.42 +/- 0.50 vs 4.70 +/- 0.44 nCi/g protein; P < 0.01) and was associated with an increased synthesis of free fatty acids (2.08 +/- 0.14 vs 3.36 +/- 0.33 nCi/g protein; P < 0.05), diacylglycerol (1.93 +/- 0.2 vs 2.26 +/- 0.28 nCi/g protein), triglycerides (2.40 +/- 0.30 vs 4.49 +/- 0.15 nCi/g protein) and cholesterol (24.28 +/- 2.12 vs 57.66 +/- 3.26 mg/g protein; P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Prehepatic portal hypertension in rats impairs the liver lipid metabolism. This impairment consists in an increase in lipid deposits (triglycerides, diacylglycerol and cholesterol) in the liver, accompanied by a decrease in phospholipid synthesis.
Aller
Maria-Angeles
MA
Surgery I Department, School of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain. maaller@med.ucm.es
Vara
Elena
E
García
Cruz
C
Nava
Maria-Paz
MP
Angulo
Alejandra
A
Sánchez-Patán
Fernando
F
Calderón
Ana
A
Vergara
Patri
P
Arias
Jaime
J
D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / Q000378:metabolism; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008099:Liver / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008102:Liver Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size / Q000502:physiology; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism
D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; D010743:Phospholipids; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol