EFFECT OF HYPOTHYROIDISM ON THE HEPARIN-STIMULATED RELEASE OF LIPASE FROM THE ISOLATED PERFUSED RAT LIVER

Abstract

Service d'Explorations Métaboliques, Hôpital de la Conception, 13385 Marseille Cedex 4, France (Received 24 August 1977) Indirect observations, derived from the assay of lipase in the blood from human subjects after administration of heparin, have suggested that diseases of the thyroid gland are associated with alterations in the activity of lipolytic enzymes (Porte, O'Hara & Williams, 1966; Kirkeby, 1968; Nikkilä & Kekki, 1972; Tulloch, Lewis & Russel-Fraser, 1973; Jubelin, Bettendorf & Boyer, 1974; Krause, Levy & Fredrikson, 1974). Lipoprotein lipase activity has been measured in adipose tissue from hypothyroid subjects and was found to be normal or raised in rats (Shafrir & Biale, 1971) and reduced in men (Pykälistö, Goldberg & Brunzell, 1976). This work was undertaken to assess alterations in the activity of hepatic lipase during hypothyroidism. Male Wistar rats (200–220 g) were thyroidectomized and injected (i.p.) 15 days later with 100 μ ¹³¹I. A period of 1 month