Abstract
The present study deals with the mechanism causing fatty infiltration in the liver of rats fed casein that had been incubated with oxidized lipids (casein : ethyl linoleate, 2:1 w/w) at 50°C and RH 80.4% for 14 days and defatted.
The increase in the content of liver triglyceride associated with feeding the reacted casein at the 9% level was not alleviated by dietary supplementation of major amino acids that had been lost during incubation. In contrast, when the amino acid mixtures simulating either the unreacted (control) or reacted casein were given to rats, there were no demonstrable differences in the contents of liver triglyceride between these two. These observations suggested that the accumulation of liver triglyceride due to feeding the reacted casein is not attributable to the loss of amino acids accompanied by lipid oxidation. Rather, regression of hydrolysis of the reacted casein and hence the unbalanced rate of liberation of absorbable hydrolysates (free amino acids and oligopeptides) in the intestinal tract appears to be one of the factors responsible for causing the observed abnormality in the metabolism of hepatic triglyceride.
