BIOCHEMICAL AND NUTRITIONAL STUDIES ON THE INDUCTION OF FATTY LIVERS BY DIETARY OROTIC ACID

Abstract

Rapid lipid infiltration of the livers of newly-weaned male rats fed a purified diet with appropriate addition of orotic acid was demonstrated. The animals continued to gain weight at a normal rate for at least two weeks and even after prolonged feeding periods the reduction in total body weight was only 20% as compared to controls. Histologically, the most notable liver change was a gross cellular enlargement sufficient to account for the increase in liver mass without additional mitotic activity. A dog chow diet or dog chow supplemented with 1% orotic acid did not increase the level of fat in the liver. Adenine completely prevented the fat accumulation or reversed the process. Changes occurred in certain of the pathways of pyrimidine metabolism in the livers of animals receiving dog chow diet which contained orotic acid. The significance of these changes and the cytological manifestations are discussed.