LIVER TRANSAMINASE ACTIVITY IN RIBOFLAVIN-DEFICIENT RATS

Abstract

Rats were deprived of riboflavin until there was established impairment of growth, hepatomegaly, and depletion of flavin–adenine dinucleotide and of catalase in the liver. Under these conditions there were increased concentrations of glutamic–aspartic and glutamic–alanine transaminases in the liver. With dietary depletion and repletion of protein the transaminase levels followed changes in liver size. Since the protein concentration in the liver was not affected, the level of transaminase was directly associated with the degree of anabolism. The changes in the glutamic–alanine transaminase were the more pronounced.