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Effect of Starvation, Dietary Protein and Partial Hepatectomy on Rat Liver Aspartate and Ornithine Carbamoyltransferases¹

Department of Physiology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210

The activities of two growth-related hepatic enzymes, aspartate carbamoyltransferase (ACTase) and ornithine carbamoyltransferase (OCTase), were studied during starvation and in two conditions leading to hepatic growth, namely, during hepatic regeneration and feeding a high protein diet. In intact rats a 2-day starvation significantly depressed ACTase activity. Surprisingly, in partially hepatectomized rats starvation did not deter the remarkable increase in ACTase activity characteristic of their rapidly proliferating livers. OCTase activity per milligram liver was unchanged 2 and 5 days after partial hepatectomy but was depressed when expressed on the basis of nitrogen (N) because of the 25 to 28% increase in N of the remaining liver. As reported by others the OCTase activity, whether expressed on the basis of wet liver weight or of N, was related directly to the level of dietary protein. ACTase per milligram liver, however, was not influenced by the dietary protein content; but when based on N, ACTase activity varied inversely with the liver N content.

² Present address: Department of Physiology, Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa.

Manuscript received 10 May 1971.