The effect of prolonged fasting on total lipid synthesis and enzyme activities in the liver of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla)

Abstract

The extent of fatty acid synthesis from [1-14C]acetate in liver slices was reduced 6-fold when eels were fasted for 1-7 weeks and 20-fold when fasted for 39 weeks; thereafter hepatic lipogenesis seemed to remain constant for up to 95 weeks of fasting. After a 1-3 week fast some hepatic enzyme activities were reduced (acetyl-CoA carboxylase decreased 2-fold and fatty acid synthetase declined 5-fold), while others remained unchanged (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, alpha-glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase as well as malic enzyme and ATP-citrate lyase). The optimum temperature for measuring both total lipid synthesis and lipogenic enzyme activity in eel liver was found to be 30 degrees C.