On the mechanism of protective action of cold acclimatization against carbon tetrachloride- and ethionine-induced fatty liver.

Abstract

In this study the hepatic lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity was evaluated in adult female mice acclimatized at 5 degrees C and submitted to carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) or ethionine, in order to determine the possible role of this enzyme in the fatty liver. The results were compared with those obtained in mice kept at room temperature (27 degrees C) that received the same hepatoesteatosis inducing agent. In contrast to animals kept at room temperature, in cold acclimatized mice neither the enhancement of the LPL-liver activity by the action of CCl4 or ethionine occurred nor the development of fatty infiltration in the liver was observed. We conclude that the low temperature induced a protective effect against CCl4- or ethionine-induced fatty liver that was correlated with the no-increase of the hepatic LPL activity.