Role of the Anterior Pituitary in the Development of a Fatty Liver

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine whether a fat mobilizing factor from the anterior pituitary is essential to the development of a fatty liver. The method employed was the administration of ethionine, an antimetabolite of methionine, to fasted female rats. Hypophysectomy led to a marked impairment in the ability to accumulate hepatic lipids. Cortisone alone or combined with thyroxine failed to restore this defect. Epinephrine administered to cortisone-maintained hypophysectomized rats led to the development of a fatty liver. While lipid accumulation in the liver can precede in the absence of a specific anterior pituitary fat mobilizing factor, the quantitative aspects do not exclude a possible physiological role for such a principle.