Dietary fat--a requirement for induction of mixed-function oxidase activities in starved-refed rats

Male rats were starved 0-48 hr, and then refed diets containing 0% (F.F.) to 20% corn oil (C.O.) lab chow or 20% coconut oil (C.C.O.) for 1-4 days. Some received phenobarbital sodium (80 mg/kg, i.p. daily) for 1-3 days prior to decapitation. Five cytochrome P-450-dependent indicators were assayed as measures of altered hepatic microsomal function: ethylmorphine N-demethylase (EMDM), N-nitrosodimethylamine (DMN)-N demethylase, aniline hydroxylase (AH), benzo[a]pyrene hydroxylase (AHH) and CO-difference spectra (P-450). Increasing dietary corn oil (0, 0.5, 10, 20%) in control rats resulted in a progressive increase in the activities of these five enzymes. Dietary fat influenced phenobarbital (Pb) inducibility of all mixed-function oxidase (MFO) enzymes measured except AHH. Pb induced the remaining enzymes only 11-22% in animals fed fat-free diet as compared to 119-246% in animals fed coconut oil and corn oil. Rats fed fat-free diet for 21 days without prior food deprivation and administered Pb had 79% more EMDM, 34% more AH and 120% more P-450 than non-induced controls, whereas rats fed 20% corn oil diet had 227% more EMDM, 143% more AH and 128% more P-450. A requirement of dietary fat for induction of MFO by Pb was demonstrated by these starvation-refeeding experiments. Coupled with data recovered from the 21-day studies, these experiments suggest that a compensatory mechanism may be operative during chronic feeding of the fat-free diet to partially return inducibility to the drug-metabolizing system.