Conversion of acetate to lipids and CO₂ by liver of rats exposed to acceleration stress

¹ Environmental Biology Division, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California

Male Sprague-Dawley rats in age groups from 1 to 20 weeks were centrifuged at 4.5 g for periods of 0.5 hr-14 days. Slices of liver, kidney, and inguinal adipose tissue were incubated with C¹⁴-labeled acetate, and the resulting isotopic CO₂ and lipids were measured. When compared with tissues from control rats, liver and adipose tissue from nonfasted centrifuged rats showed increased formation of C¹⁴-labeled lipids while kidney showed a decrease. Liver from fasted centrifuged rats also showed increased formation of C¹⁴-labeled lipids when compared to fasted noncentrifuged controls. The increase in acetate conversion to lipids varied with age of animal and duration of exposure to acceleration. No significant change in acetate-C¹⁴ oxidation to C¹⁴O₂ by liver was noted in either fed or fasted centrifuged animals as compared to their corresponding controls. The total lipid content of liver from rats that were exposed to centrifugation was lower than that from control animals.

Key Words: lipogenesis • acetate oxidation • liver, lipid content

Submitted on August 7, 1964