ON RAT SERUM LIPASE

Abstract

There is no correlation in either weanling or adult normal male rats between daily food consumption of a stock laboratory diet and serum tributyrinase activity. Limiting the food intake of adult male rats has no statistically significant effects on serum tributyrinase. The abnormally elevated serum tributyrinase levels of alloxan diabetic adult male rats may be accounted for on the basis of increased food consumption. Weanling and adult male animals maintained on synthetic diets containing from 5 to 60% fat show a correlation between serum tributyrinase concentration and daily fat consumption. In the case of adult rats increased fat ingestion is accompanied by increased enzyme activity. However, with weanling rats increased fat consumption results in lowered tributyrinase concentrations and retarded growth. The results with growing animals are attributed to the decreased intake of food, and the corresponding decrease in protein consumption, which accompanies the increase in dietary fat concentration. Replacement of the synthetic diets by the stock laboratory diet is followed by altered tributyrinase levels in both weanling and adult animals.