Effects of Adrenalectomy, Hypophysectomy, Growth Hormone and Thyroxine on Fatty Acid Synthesisin Vivo1

Abstract

Fatty acid synthesis in the carcass, liver and adipose tissues of rats was examined in vivo by measuring the amount of tritium recovered in fatty acid. Fatty acid synthesis was accelerated in adult female rats fed a low fat diet as compared with animals fed laboratory chow. Adrenalectomy did not result in any marked alteration of fatty acid synthesis. In hypophysectomized rats, fatty acid synthesis was consistently depressed and was restored to normal by thyroxine treatment. Continued treatment with growth hormone had no effect on fatty acid synthesis in either normal or hypophysectomized female rats fed laboratory chow. In normal, but not adrenalectomized, rats on the low fat diet, continued growth hormone treatment depressed carcass fatty acid synthesis. A single dose of growth hormone depressed fatty acid synthesis by one half in fed female rats on laboratory chow, in which fatty acid synthesis was measured between the 6th and 14th hours after the administration of growth hormone.