THE INFLUENCE OF PROLONGED STARVATION ON CHANGES IN ACTIVITY OF SELECTED ADAPTIVE ENZYMES IN RAT-LIVER

Male rats of Wistar SPF strain (Velaz Prague) were used to investigate the influence of prolonged starvation on changes in the activity of s elected adaptive enzymes in the liver and corticosterone in serum. Ana lyses were carried out on days 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 of starvation. The act ivity of tyrosine aminotransferase significantly increased in the peri od between days 2 and 5 of starvation, after which a decrease to the l evel of satiated animals was observed in the terminal period. Activiti es of tryptophane-2-3-dioxygenase and alanine aminotransferase increas ed in two phases reaching maximum values on days 2 and 7 of starvation . The activity of aspartate aminotransferase showed a progressive sign ificant increase in dependence on the length of starvation. A more tha n threefold increase in corticosterone concentration was observed in t he serum of starved animals in comparison with satiated rats.