Effect of Amino Acid Deficiency on Rat Liver Before and After Partial Hepatectomy. ∗

Abstract

Conclusion

1. The total weight and total solids of regenerated liver 96 hours after partial hepatectomy are unaffected by diets in which gelatin and zein are the sole sources of protein.

2. On a casein diet, the regenerated liver has a higher P.N.A. content than the prehepatectomy liver. This is also true on a gelatin diet and on a purina chow diet, but not on a zein diet, indicating that the apparent stimulus to extra P.N.A. content normally induced in the regenerating liver, is inhibited by the lack of dietary lysine. There is no significant effect on the D.N.A. content either before or after hepatectomy, on any of the diets.

3. On gelatin and zein diets, the tryptophane content of the pre-hepatectomy livers was only slightly less than on adequate diets; the same held true for the regenerating liver, indicating that the liver was capable of obtaining almost its normal content of needed tryptophane from other sources.

4. In contrast to the constancy of the total solids, the total nitrogen of both the pre-hepatectomy and regenerating liver was significantly less on the zein diet than on the Purina chow, casein, and gelatin diets. This implies that on the zein diet, the decreases in nitrogen were associated with an increase in other constituents. On the basis of Koster-litz's (loc. cit.) results, this may have been glycogen.