Journal of Lipid Research, Vol 32, 887-891, Copyright © 1991 by Lipid Research, Inc.
Induction of fatty liver by fasting in suncus
M Yasuhara, T Ohama, N Matsuki, H Saito, J Shiga, K Inoue, K Kurokawa and T Teramoto
Department of Chemical Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo, Japan.
We found that a fatty liver was easily induced in a novel experimental
animal, Suncus murinus (suncus), by withholding food. Hepatic triglyceride
content increased linearly for up to 24 h after fasting in these animals.
Serum levels of neutral lipids are very low in the fed state compared with
those in rats, and decreased significantly after 24 h fasting. On the other
hand, serum free fatty acids, which are at the same level in fed animals as
in rats, increased threefold in the fasting suncus. In order to learn
whether the fatty liver induced by fasting is an unusual physiological
state or a pathological on-going state in suncus, they were refed after 24
h fasting. Refeeding resulted in a decrease in hepatic triglyceride content
to the level of fed animals. Serum lipid levels, which decreased with
fasting, returned to those of fed animals. This evidence indicates that
hepatic lipid secretion is impaired even in a physiological state to some
extent and that starvation causes increasing influx of free fatty acid to
the liver, which might be followed by esterification and result in
triglyceride accumulation in the liver. In conclusion, hepatic lipid and
lipoprotein metabolism is unique to the suncus, which is a useful animal
model for the study of intra-hepatic lipid transport.