Volume 54 (2004) Issue: 2004 No#1

THE EFFECT OF CHRONIC FOOD RESTRICTION ON LIVER ACUTE PHASE PROTEIN RESPONSE IN FEMALE AND MALE WISTAR RATS

Author(s): Grigorov Ilijana, Milosavljević Tanja, Ilić Mirka, Bogojević Desanka, Ivanović Matić Svetlana, Petrović M, Uskoković Aleksandra

Keywords:undernutrition, liver inflammation, haptoglobin, AST, ALT, acute phase response, female and male rats

The acute inflammatory response of the liver associated with chronic food restriction was examined in adult female and male Wistar rats. The changes in the levels of serum markers of liver injury, AST and ALT and the appearance of a serum marker of inflammation, the acute phase protein (APP) haptoglobin (Hp) were assessed following turpentine treatment of well-nourished (WN) controls and undernourished (UN) rats. Undernutrition was induced by food restriction during a six week period by offering chow equivalent to 50% of the normal food intake. In the female rats undernutrition significantly potentiated liver injury and increased their sensitivity to the toxic effects of turpentine, which was opposite to the results obtained for males. Differences in the basal levels of AST, ALT and Hp between females and males imply that the effects of chronic food restriction on protein synthesis in the liver are gender related.