Effect of adrenalectomy on liver lipid content of fasted rats

The interrelationship between thyroid and adrenal hormones in the regulation of lipid accumulation of the liver during fasting was examined with the use of intact, sham operated and adrenalectomized (ADX) rats previously fed a high carbohydrate diet. Adrenalectomy depressed the lipid accumulation of the liver induced by fasting. This was restored by cortisone administration, but not by epinephrine injection. Lipid content of the liver during fasting tended to be decreased in rats made hyperthyroid by intraperitoneal injection of thyroxine compared to euthyroid-fasted rats. In rats made hypothyroid by oral administration of propylthiouracil, liver lipid content during fasting was significantly higher than that of euthyroid-fasted rats. These responses of liver lipid to thyroid activity were minimized in ADX rats. Cortisone tended to restore completely the liver response to thyroid activity. The maximal response of liver lipid to cortisone was obtained in hypothyroid-ADX rats. The injection of epinephrine alone did not cause any significant change in liver lipid content of ADX rats regardless of the thyroid status. These findings suggest that glucocorticoid must be present for thyroid function to exert its effect on the lipid accumulation of the liver induced by fasting.