Supplementary Proteins and Amino Acids and Dietary Production of Fatty Livers in Mice

Abstract

Summary

Fatty livers have been produced in mice by diets which have previously been shown to produce such an effect in rats. High fat diets containing 5% casein, 5% arachin, 20% arachin or 5% arachin supplemented with cystine produced fatty livers in mice. A lipotropic effect occurred when methionine was substituted for cystine in the 5% arachin diet or when a high fat diet containing 20% casein was fed. Fatty livers were obtained when cysteine was added to the 5% arachin diet or when homocystine supplemented the 5% casein or 5% arachin diets. The effects produced when cystine or methionine supplemented the 5% arachin diet resembled those previously reported on rats when these amino acids supplemented a 5% casein diet. The results obtained with the 5% and 20% casein diets were also like those reported for rats.