Hepatic fat accumulation during liver regeneration.

Fat accumulates in the regenerating liver after partial hepatectomy. The role of intracellular acyltransferases in the synthesis of triglycerides was studied in the liver. Two-thirds hepatectomy was performed in 14 rats. An additional 14 rats had laparotomy only (sham group). Animals were sacrificed at 18 or 24 hr after operation. After 18 hr, microsomal sn-glycerol 3-phosphate acyltransferase specific activity was increased from 708 to 956 pmole of glycerol 3-phosphate incorporated X min-1 X mg-1 protein and the triglyceride content was increased from 2.2 to 12.6 mg/g liver. At 24 hr the microsomal enzyme activity was again increased from 742 to 1203 pmole of glycerol 3-phosphate incorporated X min-1 X mg-1 protein and the triglyceride content rose from 1.9 to 13.9 mg/g liver. A correlation existed between the microsomal enzyme activity and the triglyceride level (r = 0.608, P less than 0.05). The mitochondrial enzyme activity was not increased. At 24 hr peroxisomal dihydroxyacetone acyltransferase activity was elevated from 375 to 523 pmole of dihydroxyacetone phosphate incorporated X min-1 X mg-1 protein but showed no correlation with the triglyceride content; the microsomal activity of the enzyme was not increased. Cytoplasmic NAD+-dependent alpha-glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase decreased by 24 and 32% at 18 and 24 hr. These data indicate that the microsomal sn-glycerol 3-phosphate acyltransferase activity has a major role in promoting triglyceride synthesis during liver regeneration.