Lipid metabolism in liver injury caused by carbon tetrachloride in the rat

Abstract

The increase in liver lipids in rats given CCl4 is restricted to fatty acids of the acetone-soluble lipids. The phospho-lipid concentration is significantly decreased. The incorporation of uniformly labelled [C142]acetate into the fatty acids and cholesterol of liver slices is little affected in the early period (after 3 hours) of poisoning with CCl4, when there is a significant decrease in the specific activity of the phospholipids. The labelling of all these fractions is greatly diminished after 24 hours. A significant decrease in rate of octanoate and of [1-C14]palmitate by liver homogenates from rats given CCl4 is observable 3 hours after the administration; the activity is considerably impaired after 24 hours. Poisoning with CCl4 results in decreases in plasma albumin and in lipids of plasma lipoproteins even 3 hours after the administration, followed by a considerable decrease in the lipids of the lipoproteins of the cell sap. An impairment of lipopro-tein synthesis and consequently of lipid transport may be the primary cause of the accumulation of lipid in liver injury caused by C Cl4.