Effect of ambient temperature on the toxicity of palmitoyl glycerol in weanling mice.

The toxicity of dietary rac-1(3)-palmitoyl glycerol in weanling mice was greatly exacerbated when the animals were kept at low ambient temperatures. Death occurred at temperatures below 25 degrees C but did not occur when the temperature was between 27 and 35 degrees C. As observed previously, supplementing the diet with 4% safflower oil afforded some protection against the toxicity of palmitoyl glycerol. In contrast, the interstitial pneumonitis, usually observed when palmitoyl glycerol is fed, was found in the lungs of animals at all temperatures. These findings show that the lung lesion is not the immediate cause of death.