Adaptations to the loss of intestinal fatty acid binding protein in mice

It was shown previously that the intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) is not essential for the absorption of dietary fat. One notable feature of I-FABP deficiency was the enhancement of body weight gain in male mice but not in female mice. To explore a possible cause for this gender dimorphic effect, we examined the changes in expression of genes that encode liver fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) and ileal lipid binding protein in the small intestine resulting from I-FABP deficiency. The results indicate that both L-FABP and ilbp levels are modestly increased in the small intestine of chow-fed mice lacking I-FABP. There was no discernible alteration of overall morphology or histology in the small intestine but changes in liver histology were evident in I-FABP deficient male mice. Glucose tolerance was also investigated in aged mice. I-FABP deficiency had no effect on glucose tolerance in male mice but it appeared to be improved in female mice. Thus, male and female mice clearly respond differently to the loss of I-FABP from the small intestine but the observed changes in the abundance of L-FABP and ilbp protein do not readily account for this phenomenon.