Effects of four restricted liquid diet regimens and one nonrestricted solid diet regimen on enzyme activities associated with hepatic drug metabolism.

Abstract

Two different nutritionally adequate liquid diets containing either 18% protein, 47% carbohydrate and 35% lipid, or 18% protein, 12% carbohydrate and 70% lipid were given to rats once daily or in four divided doses for 3 weeks. The liquid diets decreased hepatic protein content and concentration and the activities of hepatic gamma-glutamyl transferase and NADPH cytochrome c reductase, compared to a zero time group fed chow and water. There were no important differences between the treatment groups. Aniline hydroxylase activity was also decreased by the liquid diets, but the high-lipid diet decreased the activity significantly less than the high-carbohydrate diet. Rats fed chow and water ad libitum for 3 weeks were less different from the zero time value than rats in any of the liquid diet groups. The effects of liquid diets may be important in alcohol research, where a high-carbohydrate liquid diet in restricted amounts is being widely used for feeding the control animals.