Effects of ethionine on amino acid concentrations in liver and blood of male and female rats
Bloxam, D.L.; Fisher, M.M.
Laboratory Investigation; a Journal of Technical Methods and Pathology 31(6): 705-711
1974
ISSN/ISBN: 0023-6837 PMID: 4437141 Document Number: 72456
Wistar rats on a commercial diet for at least 7 days were fasted overnight, given DL-ethionine 1 mg/g bodyweight, 25 mg/ml solution in 0.9% NaCl, by stomach tube and killed 4 h later. In normal rats fasted overnight only, there were sex differences in concentrations of a number of amino acids in liver and plasma; the differences included an apparently greater concentration of most amino acids by the liver cell membranes of female rats. After ethionine administration there was a general increase in amino acid concentrations in liver and plasma, but more extensively in males than in females. Concentrations of methionine increased in livers of both male and female rats after ethionine treatment; a lack of depression of the steady state concentrations of cystine, alpha -aminobutyrate and taurine in the males, in contrast to the females, indicated differences in the metabolism of S-adenosylethionine; there were also changes in valine, leucine, isoleucine and urea cycle intermediates. Sex differences in the pattern of acid-hydrolysable non-protein bound amino acids, both in normal rats and in response to ethionine treatment, indicated that there are sex differences in hepatic metabolism of small peptides.