[Lysosomal enzymes in starvation after regimen of single or all-day feeding]

The authors studied in rats the effect of starving from 24 to 96 hours after a regimen of single or all-day feeding. They determined in liver homogenate the total activities of beta-N-acetyl glucosaminidase, acid phosphatase and beta-glucuronidase as well as the free activities of the two first-mentioned enzymes. The activity of beta-N-acetyl glucosaminidase was also determined in the blood. It was found that the total activity of beta-N-acetyl glucosaminidase in the liver homogenate increased with the length of starvation. The free and serum activities of the enzymes under investigation showed similar changes. These increases were more marked in rats subjected to a single-feeding regimen before starving. These changes are explained as an expression of the active participation of the lysosomes and their enzymes in the transition to endogenous feeding. The lysosomal membrane was more sensitive in starving animals which had been subjected to a single-feeding regimen.