Abstract
Medium chain fatty acid (MCFA) is absorbed without a micelle formation, and transferred via portal vein to the liver, where it is used as an efficient energy source. Thus, medium chain triacylglycerol (MCT) is useful for energy supple in the postoperative patients with reduced digestive functions. In this study we have examined whether refeeding a diet containing MCT after starvation in mice affects the expression of the genes related with glycolytic and fatty acid synthetic pathways in the liver. Adult C57BL/6J mice were fasted for three days, and refed a liquid diet containing either 27% of energy as long chain triacylglycerol (LCT), 21% as LCT and 6% as MCT, or 9% as LCT and 18% as MCT, along with 40% of energy as carbohydrate and 22% as protein. The mice were given the diets through a gastric tubing three times every 4 h (12 kcal/100 g BW/12 h). The mice were killed at 12 h after refeeding, and the serum and the liver were collected for determinations of triacylglycerol concentrations. The mRNA levels of the genes related with glycolytic and fatty acid synthetic pathways were determined by RT‐PCR. Triacylglycerol concentrations in the serum and the liver were similar among the three refed groups. The mRNA levels of glucokinase and fatty acid synthase genes in the liver were significantly higher in the mice refed LCT diet than those in starved mice, and they tended to be lower in the mice refed MCT diet. The mRNA level of carbohydrate‐responsive element‐binding protein (ChREBP) gene was significantly greater in the mice refed LCT diet than that in starved mice, but they were not significantly elevated in the mice refed MCT diet. The results suggest that refeeding a diet containing MCT after fasting leads to a reduced expression of ChREBP gene, which is likely to be involved in the suppression of the genes related with glycolytic and fatty acid synthetic pathways.
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