EFFECT OF HIGH PROTEIN AND HIGH CARBOHYDRATE DIETS ON THE ARGINASE AND PHOSPHATASES OF THE LIVER AND KIDNEY OF THE NORMAL AND ADRENALECTOMIZED RAT

Abstract

The feeding of either a high carbohydrate (89%)[long dash]no protein, a high protein (casein 80%, yeast 10%) or a "standard" prepared diet to 24-hr, fasted adult male rats for 10 hrs. caused a deposition of liver glycogen and the expected changes in urinary N and urea excretion but did not change the activities of the arginase, "alkaline" (pH 9.8) or "acid" (pH 5.4) phosphatases of the liver or kidney. The feeding of 30% glucose by stomach tube at 1- or 2-hr, intervals also increased the liver glycogen without any changes in the activities of the liver or kidney enzymes. The feeding of the above diets for 7 days at 10 g./day to normal 250-g. male rats showed that the high carbohydrate diet caused a loss in body and kidney wt. but no change in enzyme activities. The livers of these animals lost wt. and protein, but contained a large amt. of glycogen. There was a decrease in arginase but a moderate increase in "alkaline" phospha-tase. The high protein diet, on the other hand, maintained the body wt. and increased the kidney wt. and protein with a concomitant increase in the enzymes. The liver wt., protein and enzymes were somewhat increased. The glycogen content, however, was only half that present in the livers of the rats fed the high carbohydrate diet. The feeding of the high protein diets as above to completely and partially adrenalectomized-castrated rats increased the kidney and liver weights but did not change enzyme activities of these organs. Organ and enzyme changes are not comparable to those after admn. of protein anabolic or cata-bolic steroid hormones.