Studies on Fatty Infiltration of the Liver Induced by Lipoid Solvents.

Abstract

In a previous paper, Johnston and the author reported that fatty infiltration of the liver occurs a certain period of time after the injection of a mixture of mineral oil and coal tar into the subcutaneous tissue of rats fed a diet rich in vitamin A. We thought at that time that this mixture of lipoid solvents alone produced the fatty infiltration in these animals. More recent studies have shown that this is not true. It was a time factor only which brought about the action of the mixture of mineral oil and coal tar. Later experiments have shown that other lipoid solvents will produce the same effect in the liver after a longer interval of time. A mixture of coal tar and paraffin produces the change 30 days after the injection, coal tar in 90 days, mazola oil in 60 to 90 days, mineral oil in 45 to 60 days, and a mixture of coal tar and mazola oil in 40 to 60 days. Thus, the time of occurrence of the fatty infiltration is governed by the particular kind of lipoid solvent used. At the times given above there is an extensive infiltration involving the entire parenchyma of the liver. Previous to this time in certain of the above series a few scattered areas of vacuolization were found in a few of the livers. The infiltration does not occur in the animals fed a ration deficient in vitamin A, and only to a slight degree in the animals fed a well balanced stock ration. It does not occur in rats fed a rich vitamin A dietary that are not injected with the substances listed above. These substances are lipoid solvents.