Aspirin promotes hepatic triacylglycerol accumulation in essential fatty acid-deficient Japanese quail

This study was conducted to investigate whether the effect of a high dose of aspirin on hepatic triacylglycerol content is altered by dietary essential fatty acids (EFA) in Japanese quail. The birds were given an EFA-free or EFA-adequate [containing 2% (w/w) linoleic acid] diet ad libitum from 7 to 24 days of age. On the final experimental day, the birds received vehicle or 800 mg aspirin/kg body weight intraperitoneally and were killed 4 h subsequently. In birds fed the EFA-free diet, hepatic triacylglycerol content was more than 2 times higher after aspirin compared with vehicle treatment; in contrast, aspirin had no affect in birds fed the EFA-adequate diet. Liver malic enzyme and phosphatidate phosphohydrolase activities, which are related to lipid synthesis, were not affected by dietary EFA or aspirin treatment. Liver carnitine palmitoyltransferase activity in the birds fed the EFA-free diet was significantly lower than that in the birds fed the EFA-adequate diet, but aspirin did not affect this activity. In groups given the EFA-free diet, peroxisomal β-oxidation was increased by the aspirin treatment. We conclude that acute administration of aspirin to Japanese quail on an EFA-free diet induces hepatic triacylglycerol accumulation, and that changes in lipid synthesis and degradation do not contribute to this phenomenon.