Abstract
Germ-free (GF) and conventional (CV) mice were fed control and inositol-deficient diets containing 10% of palm oil and 60% of sucrose for 23 days. No significant differences in body weight were observed both in GF and CV mice between control and inositol-deficient groups. there was evidence of fatty liver in GF and CV mice fed inositol-deficient diets, and the degree of fatty liver was ;more evident in CV mice fed inositol-deficient diet than in GF ones. GF and CV mice fed inositol-deficient diet showed significant increases in the activities of malic enzyme, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase compared with control animals. Plasma triglyceride level reduced significantly in CV mice fed inositol-deficient diet, and did not reduce significantly in GF ones. Plasma FFA level reduced significantly in GF mice fed inositol deficient diet, but didn't reduce in CV ones. These suggest that the fatty liver by inositol deficiency is due to increased lipid synthesis in liver, decreased lipid secretion and decreased FFA which is incorporated to liver, and that inositol synthesized by intestinal microflora do not contribute to depress fatty liver in conventional mice fed inositol-deficient diet.
