Ethanolamine kinase activity and compositions of diacylglycerols, phosphatidylcholines and phosphatidylethanolamines in livers of choline-deficient rats

The effect of a nutritional model of chronic liver injury on the hepatic glucuronidation of morphine in rats

The effect of a choline-deficient diet on the hepatic glucuronidation of morphine was investigated using a rat perfused liver system. Rats fed a choline-deficient diet developed a fatty liver with minimal necrosis. Despite the morphological changes, neither hepatic extraction ratio (0.51 +/- 0.02 in control; 0.45 +/- 0.04 in the choline-deficient rats) nor intrinsic clearance (0.85 +/- 0.05 in control; 0.77 +/- 0.09 in choline-deficient rats) were affected by this injury model. This finding suggests that glucuronidation is relatively resistant to this chronic liver injury.

1,2-sn-diacylglycerol accumulates in choline-deficient liver. A possible mechanism of hepatic carcinogenesis via alteration in protein kinase C activity?

Choline deficiency is associated with triacylglycerol accumulation in the liver, and is the only nutritional state known to trigger hepatic cancer spontaneously. In two different experiments, rats were pair-fed for 6 weeks with control (0.2% choline), or choline-deficient (CD) (0.002% choline) diets. Hepatic choline and phosphocholine declined in CD animals to 54% and 16% of control levels, respectively. In control livers, 1,2-sn-diacylglycerol (1,2-sn-DAG) concentration was (in nmol/g wet wt) 144 (+/- 25; mean +/- SE); while in CD livers it was 792 (+/- 140) in the first experiment. In the second experiment the values were 375 (+/- 26) and 1147 (+/- 74), respectively. 1,2-sn-DAG, a precursor of triacylglycerol, is an endogenous activator of protein kinase C (PKC). PKC is the presumed site of action of the tumor-promoting phorbol esters. We suggest that the 1,2-sn-DAG accumulating in CD liver could bind PKC, altering its activity, and thus contribute to the carcinogenic effect of CD diets.

The effect of choline deficiency on the activity of a phosphatidylcholine-requiring enzyme: activity and properties of UDP-glucuronyltransferase in choline-deficient rats

The effect of choline deficiency on the kinetic properties of the microsomal enzyme UDP-glucuronyltransferase (EC2.4.1.17) was investigated in rats. Animals fed choline-deficient diets, as compared with animals fed a choline-replete diet or standard laboratory chow, showed almost a three-fold increase in enzyme activity when the enzyme was assayed at physiological concentrations of UDP-glucuronic acid (0.25 mM). The increase in activity appeared to be due to an enhanced affinity of the enzyme for UDP-glucuronic acid rather than to an increase in the amount of enzyme. These data indicate that the kinetic properties of tightly bound membrane enzymes are altered by a dietary change that is known to cause liver disease in the rat.

Relationship between malondialdehyde production and arachidonate consumption during NADPH-supported microsomal lipid peroxidation

Fatty acid concentrations and malondialdehyde formation were determined before and during NADPH-supported lipid peroxidation in liver microsomes from rat, mouse, guinea pig and rabbit. In agreement with earlier reports, malondialdehyde production was greatest for rat, followed by mouse, and much less for guinea pig and rabbit. The microsomal content of total unsaturated fatty acids (18:1, 18:2, 18:3, 20:3, 20:4, 20:5, 22:5, 22:6) was approximately the same for rat and mouse and was lower in guinea pig and rabbit. Lipid peroxidation caused a time-dependent decrease in the polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly 20:4 and 22:6, for all species. These decreases were most pronounced for rat and mouse. Alterations in the dietary regime for rat produced marked changes in microsomal fatty acid content as reported by others, and also caused changes in the rates of malondialdehyde production and polyunsaturated fatty acid consumption during lipid peroxidation. A comparison between the rates of malondialdehyde production and the rates of individual unsaturated fatty acid consumption was performed for each animal species and for rats fed different diets. A linear relationship was found between malondialdehyde production and 20:4 disappearance in individual microsomal preparations and in different species. A similar relationship was seen for the initial microsomal concentration of 20:4 and the initial rate of malondialdehyde formation. Other unsaturated fatty acids did not exhibit linear relationships. Various microsomal mixed-function oxidase variables were measured for the different species. No direct relationship between these values and malondialdehyde production was found.