Biomaterial Database

Lipid metabolism in the vitamin-B12-deprived rat. 1978

C Fehling, and M Jägerstad, and G Arvidson

Rats were deprived of vitamin B12 in order to study the effect of this deprivation on the metabolism of lipids in the liver and the nervous system. Serum vitamin B12 concentrations of 102.7 and 78 pg/ml were found at sacrifice after 5 and 6 months, respectively. Neurological testing failed to reveal signs of neuropathy. The total liver lipids were decreased in the vitamin-B12-deprived animals, but no changes were detected in the lipid concentration or in the phospholipid composition of the nervous system. Some animals were given propionate, and in these, contrary to expectations, pentadecanoic acid and heptadecanoic acid were found in smaller amounts in the liver triglycerides of the vitamin B12-deprived rats than in the control rats. This could be due to the inhibitory effect of methylmalonyl CoA on fatty-acid synthesis, demonstrated by others in vitro.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008099	Liver	A large lobed glandular organ in the abdomen of vertebrates that is responsible for detoxification, metabolism, synthesis and storage of various substances.	Livers
D008297	Male		Males
D010743	Phospholipids	Lipids containing one or more phosphate groups, particularly those derived from either glycerol (phosphoglycerides see GLYCEROPHOSPHOLIPIDS) or sphingosine (SPHINGOLIPIDS). They are polar lipids that are of great importance for the structure and function of cell membranes and are the most abundant of membrane lipids, although not stored in large amounts in the system.	Phosphatides,Phospholipid
D011422	Propionates	Derivatives of propionic acid. Included under this heading are a broad variety of acid forms, salts, esters, and amides that contain the carboxyethane structure.	Propanoate,Propanoic Acid,Propionate,Propanoates,Propanoic Acid Derivatives,Propanoic Acids,Propionic Acid Derivatives,Propionic Acids,Acid, Propanoic,Acids, Propanoic,Acids, Propionic,Derivatives, Propanoic Acid,Derivatives, Propionic Acid
D001835	Body Weight	The mass or quantity of heaviness of an individual. It is expressed by units of pounds or kilograms.	Body Weights,Weight, Body,Weights, Body
D002490	Central Nervous System	The main information-processing organs of the nervous system, consisting of the brain, spinal cord, and meninges.	Cerebrospinal Axis,Axi, Cerebrospinal,Axis, Cerebrospinal,Central Nervous Systems,Cerebrospinal Axi,Nervous System, Central,Nervous Systems, Central,Systems, Central Nervous
D003652	Decanoic Acids	10-carbon saturated monocarboxylic acids.	Capric Acids,Acids, Capric,Acids, Decanoic
D005260	Female		Females
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D012584	Sciatic Nerve	A nerve which originates in the lumbar and sacral spinal cord (L4 to S3) and supplies motor and sensory innervation to the lower extremity. The sciatic nerve, which is the main continuation of the sacral plexus, is the largest nerve in the body. It has two major branches, the TIBIAL NERVE and the PERONEAL NERVE.	Nerve, Sciatic,Nerves, Sciatic,Sciatic Nerves