QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by van Lith, H. A. Articles by Beynen, A. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by van Lith, H. A. Articles by Beynen, A. C.

Fat Intake and Clofibrate Administration Have Interrelated Effects on Liver Cholesterol Concentration and Serum Butyryl Cholinesterase Activity in Rats

H. A. van Lith^*,1, M. Haller^*, G. van Tintelen^**, A. G. Lemmens^*, L.F.M. van Zutphen^* and A. C. Beynen^*,

^* Department of Laboratory Animal Science, Veterinary Faculty, State University, Utrecht ^** Laboratory Animals Center Department of Human Nutrition, Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands

Rats were fed for 15 d purified diets with different amounts of coconut fat, and with or without clofibrate. Fat was added at the expense of an isoenergetic amount of glucose. The hypolipidemic action of clofibrate was not influenced by the amount of fat in the diet. Clofibrate did not affect liver cholesterol concentration in rats fed the low fat diet, but it counteracted the rise in liver cholesterol seen in rats fed the high fat diet. This could relate to the observed raised intestinal clofibrate-hydrolyzing activity of rats fed the high fat diet, because hydrolysis of clofibrate gives rise to its biologically active form. In rats fed the low fat diet, but not in those fed the high fat diet, clofibrate raised the activity of serum esterase-1, which (unlike esterase-2) does not hydrolyze clofibrate. Possibly, the dramatic stimulatory effect of fat feeding on serum esterase-1 activity had overruled any influence of clofibrate. Clofibrate elevated serum butyryl cholinesterase activity, with this effect being amplified by fat feeding. High levels of dietary fat in the absence of dietary clofibrate did not alter serum butyryl cholinesterase activity. Clofibrate did not change butyryl cholinesterase and esterase-1 activities in small intestine. The high fat diet caused slightly higher levels of butyryl cholinesterase activity in small intestine, but markedly raised intestinal esterase-1 activity. This study shows that certain effects of clofibrate and a high fat diet are interrelated.

KEY WORDS: • butyryl cholinesterase • esterases • clofibrate • dietary fat • rats

¹ To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Manuscript received 9 December 1991. Revision accepted 1 July 1992.