Protein synthesis in vivo in rats fed on lipid-rich liquid diets

Changes in tissue composition and protein synthesis ratio were studied in the major tissues of the body in young rats fed on lipid-rich, isonitrogenous purified liquid diets, a convenient method for inducing voluntary overfeeding under controlled nutritional conditions. Overfed rats showed faster growth induced by the energy excess. Analysis of tissue composition (protein, DNA and RNA contents) revealed that growth was due mainly to tissue hyperplasia in which protein and DNA contents increased in parallel. Fractional protein synthesis ratio measured in vivo by the flooding-dose method of phenylalanine showed a marked increase in all tissues. This change could be attributed to an increase in the ribosomal activity for protein synthesis in most tissues. Therefore, our results indicate that addition of a supplementary energy source (as lipids) to a well-balanced diet improves growth and protein synthesis in growing rats.