The effect of carbon tetrachloride on the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellular triacylglycerol in adult rat hepatocytes in primary monolayer culture.

The effect of carbon tetrachloride on the intracellular hydrolysis of triacylglycerol and on the activity of acid triacylglycerol lipase was investigated with primary cultured rat hepatocytes. It was found that the concentration of the precursors in the medium did not affect the time course of the synthesis, secretion and the hydrolysis of triacylglycerol, and that carbon tetrachloride significantly suppressed the hydrolysis of intracellular triacylglycerol and the activity of acid triacylglycerol lipase with a concomitant accumulation of triacylglycerol. The results indicate a possibility that the triacylglycerol accumulation in the cultured rat hepatocytes caused by carbon tetrachloride might be mediated by the suppression of lysosomal acid triacylglycerol lipase activity in addition to the suppression of the secretion of triacylglycerol.