Response to Fasting of Hepatic Arginase, Alkaline Phosphatase, and Rhodanese in Protein-Depleted Rats.

Abstract

When young adult male Wistar rats, after 2 weeks of protein starvation, were subjected to 4 days of fasting, the arginase content of their livers increased by 58% while the alkaline phosphatase content decreased by a similar percentage. A smaller increment of the rhodanese content was limited to the first 2 days of fasting. It is concluded that both the latter rise and the initial rise of the arginase content were due to an increase in hepatic protein, while the subsequent arginase rise was specifically related to the increased protein catabolism. Data on the intracellular distribution of the 3 enzymes in protein-depleted livers are presented.