Abstract
The influence of fasting and protein starvation on the profiles of liver and kidney lipids of rats was investigated. Rats on protein-free regimen were maintained on isocaloric diet up to 11 days without appreciable fall in food-intake by the spaced-feeding procedure, while rats on caloric depletion were starved for 5 days. Both types of dietary restrictions resulted in losses of body and organ weights of animals. The influence of stress conditions however, varied with respect to the individual lipid constituents as well as the organs studied. Fasting as well as protein-starvation caused an increase in liver total lipids, mainly in the form of triglycerides and a loss in hepatic cholesterol. In the kidney, fasting resulted in the loss of only free cholesterol. However, a preferential loss of esterified cholesterol occurred in protein starved rats leading to a 20-fold increase in the ratio of free to esterified forms. A significant loss (p<0.01) in phospholipid levels was apparent in the liver of fasted rats, while no such change was observed in the protein-starved group. The body and organ weights as well as the lipid profiles returned to normal levels as a result of realimentation of the experimental animals, suggesting recovery from nutritional stress.
