Certain biochemical effects of garlic oil on rats maintained on high fat-high cholesterol diet

The feeding of a high fat-high cholesterol (HF-HC) diet to normal rats for 1 month increased the lipid components cholesterol and triglyceride in serum, liver and kidneys and decreased the serum albumin very significantly. Administration of garlic oil (100 mg/kg b. wt/day) for 1 month together with the HF-HC diet to another group almost nullified the lipid-increasing and albumin-decreasing effects of that diet. The reduction in total lipids, cholesterol and triglycerides and the restoration to normal level of serum albumin were highly significant in the garlic oil group. Adipose tissue triglyceride lipase activity was significantly increased in both the above groups with a much greater rise in the oil group.     

Certain biochemical effects of garlic oil on rats maintained on high fat-high cholesterol diet

Summary The feeding of a high fat-high cholesterol (HF-HC) diet to normal rats for 1 month increased the lipid components cholesterol and triglyceride in serum, liver and kidneys and decreased the serum albumin very significantly. Administration of garlic oil (100 mg/kg b. wt/day) for 1 month together with the HF-HC diet to another group almost nullified the lipid-increasing and albumin-decreasing effects of that diet. The reduction in total lipids, cholesterol and triglycerides and the restoration to normal level of serum albumin were highly significant in the garlic oil group. Adipose tissue triglyceride lipase activity was significantly increased in both the above groups with a much greater rise in the oil group.     

Hypolipidemic action of onion and garlic unsaturated oils in sucrose fed rats over a two-month period

Summary The feeding of a high-sucrose diet to normal rats for a period of 2 months increased serum and tissue cholesterol and triglycerides very significantly. Simultaneous feeding of the unsaturated oils of onion or garlic with the sucrose diet counterated these effects of sucrose. However, along with the lipid-reducing effects, a small but significant tissue-protein reducing effect of the oils were also observed. The hypolipidemic action of the oils may be related to their action on both lipid and protein synthesis.The authors acknowledge with thanks Prof. J. K. Sen Gupta, and the authorities of the University of Maiduguri for the award of a grant to this project. Authors, to whom reprint requests should be addressed.     

Plasma lipid concentration and lipoprotein distribution in exercising and nonexercising rats fed a high sucrose diet

Summary Voluntary physical activity in rats fed a high sucrose diet reduces the plasma triglyceride level but has no major influence on the lipoprotein distribution.Acknowledgment. The excellent technical assistance of Ida Goffeng Bay is gratefully acknowledged.     

Renal effects of a high unsaturated fat diet in renal artery stenosis in rats

The renal effects of an unsaturated fat (UNSAT) diet in mild to moderate two-kidney, one-clip (2K1C) renovascular hypertension were evaluated. An UNSAT diet (37% by energy) prevented the development of hypertension compared to 2K1C rats fed a high saturated fat (SAT) (37% by energy) and a normal fat (CONTROL) (11% by energy) diet. Urinary sodium and fractional sodium excretion increased in 2K1C rats as compared to SHAM operated controls, regardless of the diet received. In the early weeks of the experiment (weeks 2–4 post-surgery to induce hypertension), an enhanced natriuresis occurred in the 2K1C UNSAT as compared to the 2K1C CONTROL and SAT diet groups. This resulted from an increase in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR in mls·min^–1) as measured using the single-injection [⁵¹Cr] EDTA method (2K1C UNSAT; 1.99±0.18 versus 2K1C SAT; 1.27±0.09, p<0.02; and versus SHAM CONTROL; 1.45×0.01; p<0.02). The increased GFR was not associated with alterations in effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) as measured using the single-injection [¹²⁵I] Na hippurate method. No differences in sodium excretion; GFR; ERPF or renal blood flow (microsphere technique) were noted between the 2K1C UNSAT and SAT diet groups at weeks 6–8 post-surgery, despite a continued antihypertensive effect of the UNSAT diet. Hence, the antihypertensive effect of an unsaturated fat diet in 2K1C renovascular hypertension in rats is associated with transient glomerular changes leading to an enhanced natriuresis.     

Increased sensitivity to pentobarbital in rats fed a diet lacking flavonoids.

Pentobarbital-sensitivity is highly increased in rats fed a diet lacking flavonoids; sleeping time was found to be increased by 42 and 30% as compared with rats fed a normal diet. These studies confirm our previous statement according to which for the rat, benzopyrones are vitamins.     

Effect of high lipid diet on circadian rhythms of tissue glycogen

Summary The well defined circadian rhythms of glycogen content in heart, diaphragm and liver of the rat are drastically altered by a high lipid diet as shown by changes in amplitude, phase and tissue glycogen levels. If sampling times had been restricted to certain hours of the day the profound effect of the high fat diet on tissue glycogen would not have been apparent.Supported by USPHS grants HL 16041-03 and HL 07094-03.     

Efficacy of ethanol as a discriminative stimulus in ethanol-preferring and ethanol-nonpreferring rats

Rats which exhibited a preference for drinking a 6% w/v solution of ethanol in a free choice situation did not differ in their sensitivity to ethanol from animals exhibiting an aversion for ethanol, as measured by leaning rates in a T-maze task in which ethanol served as a discriminative stimulus.     

Efficacy of ethanol as a discriminative stimulus in ethanol-preferring and ethanol-nonpreferring rats

Summary Rats which exhibited a preference for drinking a 6% w/v solution of ethanol in a free choice situation did not differ in their sensitivity to ethanol from animals exhibiting an aversion for ethanol, as measured by learning rates in a T-maze task in which ethanol served as a discriminative stimulus.The author is thankful to Miss Christine Currey for technical assistance.     

Surface morphology of the subfornical organ: effects of low and high sodium chloride diet

Ependymal cells found in the subfornical organ of the rat were counted. Cells covered by small microvilli, small protrusions and smooth cells were frequently found. Also present were cells with long or short cilia, cels with large protrusions and supraependymal cells. High and low sodium diets reduced the number of cells with large protrusions. Microvilli-covered cells increased after a low sodium diet.     

Graft-versus-host reaction and lymphoid organs in normally fed and protein-deprived rats

Summary Lymph node graft-versus-host reaction (GVHR) induced by parental splenic lymphocytes inoculated into hind foot pads of F-1 hybrid rats is correlated with the state of the thymus and the spleen of the recipients. This may explain the depression of the reaction after protracted protein deprivation. Furthermore, GVHR provokes mainly in normal rats a reduction of thymus and spleen possibly due to a T-cell transfer to the grafted area.I thank Mrs.M. Cl. Gonzalez and Mr.D. Soulas (C.N.R.S.) for their skilled technical assistance.     

High-fat diet and the development of obesity in albino rats

Zusammenfassung Männliche, geschlechtsreife Wistar-Ratten wurden 44 Wochen lang mit isokalorischen Diäten gefüttert, die entweder einen erhöhten Fett- oder Kohlehydrat- bzw. Eiweissanteil enthielten. Zwischen den eine fettreiche und eine kohlehydratreiche Diät erhaltenden Tieren zeigten sich keine statistisch bedeutsamen Unterschiede in bezug auf ihre Gewichtszunahme und den Gesamtanteil des Körperfettes. Diejenigen Tiere, die eine Diät mit erhöhtem Kaseingehalt erhielten, nahmen in Übereinstimmung mit den Literaturangaben weniger an Gewicht zu und lagerten auch weniger Körperfett ab. Wie aus unseren Ergebnissen hervorgeht, muss ein hoher Fettanteil in der Diät von sich aus noch nicht zur Fettsucht bei Ratten führen.     

The effects of ethanol on embryonic actin: a possible role in teratogenesis

When the neural crest is cultured in the long or short term presence of ethanol, monoclonal anti-actin reveals the development of a disorganized actin cytoskeleton. In the long term, many cells fail to differentiate morphologically, whereas in the short term already differentiated cells rapidly alter their shape and their cell-to-cell contacts.