Plasma triglyceride turnover in cobalt-treated rabbits.

Abstract

The kinetics of plasma TG metabolism was assessed in ten rabbits with hypertriglyceridemia induced by injection of cobalt chloride and compared with normal ten pair-fed rabbits. Plasma TG turnover rate was remarkably higher in cobalt-treated than in control rabbits, while lipoprotein lipase activity in adipose tissue was similar in both groups. The relationship between the concentration and turnover rate of plasma TG in both groups of animals was expressed as an asymptotic regression y=31.91934(1-e-0.0034788x). Nine of ten cobalt-treated rabbits located in the 95% confidence belt around the curvilineal line suggesting that the hypertriglyceridemia in these rabbits was predominantly due to enhancement of of plasma production, while only one rabbit a decrease of the removal efficiency was suspected to be a contributing factor in abnormality. The plasma TG concentration correlated significantly with the change in TG turnover rate. In the cobalt-treated rabbits, the plasma FFA values were similar to that of the pair-fed control rabbits, while the hepatic TG levels were significantly lower than that of the control rabbits.