Studies on Incorporation of Acetate-(14)C into Lipids by Blood from Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

The incorporation of 1-(14)C acetate into major lipid fractions or discrete fatty acids of whole blood has been studied. The subjects studied were 22 cases of liver cirrhosis, 11 severe diabetics, 8 mild diabetics, 7 normal persons, and 5 cases of acute hepatitis. Of these 22 cases of liver cirrhosis, 2 were normal, 10 were abnormal in glucose tolerance test (GTT), and another 10 cases were clinically considered to have been complicated with primary diabetes. Results: 1) Not only the groups of liver cirrhosis with abnormal GTT and with diabetes, but severe diabetics showed remarkable decrease in incorporation of (14)C from acetate-(14)C into fatty acids and non-saponifiable fraction, howeuer, little depression has been found in the mild diabetics and the group of acute hepatitis as compared to the normal group. 2) From the view of incorporation of (14)C into iudividual fatty acids, groups of liver cirrhosis showed equally less in percentage of recovered cpm in 14:0, and 16:0 than those found in diabetic group, particularly, percentage incorporation of 14:0 in group of liver cirrhosis with abnormal GTT was significantly decreased as compared to diabetic groups. In 16:0 also, percentage of recovered cmp in both groups of liver cirrhosis with abnormal GTT and with diabetes was significantly depressed than controls. All groups of liver cirrhosis showed highly significant increase of percentage incorporation in 18:1 as compared to both normal and diabetic groups. Significant increase of percentage of recovered cpm in fatty acids with retention time corresponding to 20:4 or greater was found in the groups of liver cirrhosis as well as diabetics as compared to normal controls. Therefore, the groups of liver cirrhosis and diabetics showed analogous changes in the formation of 14:0, 16:0, and fatty acids longer than 20:4, but the remarkable increase in formation of 18:1 was found to be specific for liver cirrhosis. 3) The percentage of recovered cpm in 14:0, 16:0, and fatty acids longer than 20:4 had no significant difference among the groups of liver cirrhosis. However, in spite of insignificant change, the group of liver cirrhosis with abnormal GTT showed increase by about 3% in mean value in percentage incorporation in 18:1 as compared to the group with diabetes. 4) No particular changes in percentage incorporation of (14)C into discrete fatty acids of blood were observed in the group of acute hepatitis as compared with normal group