672 VI. OCCURRENCE OF LIPIDS IN THE ANIMAL 



type of fatty liver tested was that produced in the rat on a low-protein, 

 high-fat, and essentially choline-free diet. On the other hand, Eilert and 

 Dragstedt 795 stated that the lipocaic effect on dietary fatty livers in rats 

 must be due to some constituent other than choline, methionine, inositol, or 

 the non-specific action of protein. Further work is obviously required to 

 resolve the inconsistencies in this field. 



c'. Experimental Evidence of Lipocaic Activity toward Fatty Livers 

 Resulting from Cholesterol: On the other hand, Channon, Loach, and Tris- 

 tram 796 have found that lipocaic is active in removing fat from the liver of 

 rats in which the fatty infiltration was induced by cholesterol feeding. The 

 average value for the non-choline activity of the pancreatic preparation 

 was equivalent to 426 mg. choline per 100 g. pancreas. Ralli et al. 55s found 

 an increased content of cholesterol esters in the livers of depancreatized 

 dogs, but the level of the free cholesterol fraction was not uniformly 

 affected. They suggest that this type of fatty liver may differ from 

 the type produced on a choline-low diet. Moreover, Montgomery, 

 Chaikoff, et al. 797 - 800 reported that fatty livers of depancreatized dogs con- 

 tain a large proportion of cholesterol. One is led to postulate that 

 the activity of lipocaic in removing the fat from the livers of pancreatecto- 

 mized dogs may be related to its action toward fatty livers having a high 

 percentage of cholesterol. 



d'. Lipocaic as a Hormone: Dragstedt and colleagues 786 ' 787 reached the 

 conclusion that lipocaic is a hormone, distinct from insulin, which is elab- 

 orated by the pancreas. These workers are of the opinion that the lipo- 

 tropic action is not associated with the presence of pancreatic juice in the 

 intestine. Canepa, Grossman, and Ivy 801 found that crystalline trypsin, 

 chymotrypsin, and carboxypeptidase, when given by mouth, are not lipo- 

 tropic following ligation of the pancreatic duct of the dog. However, these 

 conclusions are not borne out by other workers (see following section) . 



A number of facts lead one to question whether or not lipocaic can be 

 classified as a hormone in the usual sense of the word. The primary cir- 



795 M. L. Eilert and L. R. Dragstedt, Am. J. Physiol, 147, 346-351 (1946). 



796 H. J. Channon, L. V. Loach, and G. R. Tristram, Biochem. J., 32, 1332-1344 (1938). 



797 M. L. Montgomery, C. Entenman, and I. L. Chaikoff, J. Biol. Chem., 128, 387-398 

 (1939). 



798 C. Entenman, M. L. Montgomery, and I. L. Chaikoff, /. Biol. Chem., 185, 329-335 

 (1940). 



799 M. L. Montgomery, C. Entenman, I. L. Chaikoff, and C. Nelson, /. Biol. Chem., 

 187, 693-698(1941). 



800 C. Entenman, I. L. Chaikoff, and M. L. Montgomery, J. Biol. Chem., 137, 699-706 

 (1941). 



801 J. F. Canepa, M. I. Grossman, and A. C. Ivy, Am. J. Physiol, 156, 387-395 (1949). 





