THE RELATION OF DIETARY PROTEIN LEVEL TO LIVER ENZYME ACTIVITIES IN COLD-EXPOSED RATS

Abstract

Male, albino rats were fed diets containing 5%, 20%, and 40% casein by weight for 7 days at environmental temperatures of 22 °C and 2–3 °C. In one experiment, food was provided ad libitum; in a second experiment, all groups were provided with equal amounts of food. At 22 °C, the activities in liver of alanine-glutamic transaminase, phosphate-activated glutaminase, and arginase increased with increasing dietary protein level. At 2–3 °C, activities of the last two enzymes increased with increasing dietary protein level from 5% to 20% but not from 20% to 40% whereas transaminase activities increased throughout the dietary protein range 5% to 40%. No relationship of glucose-6-phosphatase activity to dietary protein level was evident at either environmental temperature. Cold exposure per se increased the activities of alanine-glutamic transaminase and glucose-6-phosphatase in all dietary protein groups but increased the activities of arginase and phosphate-activated glutaminase only in rats fed the 5% and 20% protein diets. It is postulated that increased activities of these liver enzymes during cold exposure result from augmented catabolism of substrates to meet increased energy requirements. As previously observed with respect to other metabolic alterations, it is apparent that cold exposure modifies the response of liver enzymes to changing dietary protein levels.