Rat liver and plasma lipids after carbon tetrachloride administration

Oral administration of CCl4 to rats produced (a) decreased cholesterol, phospholipid, and triglyceride plasma concentrations and elevated triglyceride levels in liver, (6) several hours later, a growing increase in plasma FFA, and (c) still later, increased plasma cholesterol, triglyceride, and phospholipid concentrations and continually rising liver triglyceride.The accumulation of hepatic triglyceride induced by CCl4 was smaller after administration of sympathetic anti-release agents; larger after administering a ganglion-blocking agent; smaller after the animals had been cord-sectioned; reduced by adrenalectomy and (to a much lesser extent) by bilateral splanchnicectomy. Corticoid treatment partially restored the response to CCl4 in adrenalectomized animals. Cord section prevented the plasma FFA increase induced by CCl4, although it did not modify the decrease in plasma phospholipid; both adrenalectomy and hypophysectomy also prevented the CCl4-induced plasma FFA increase.The results are interpreted as indicating that both adrenal corticoids and an intact sympathetic nervous system are necessary for fatty liver induction by CCl4.