Effects of type of dietary fat and protein on gluconeogenesis in isolated hepatocytes from BHE/cdb rats

The effect of feeding a whole-egg diet or one matched in protein and fat content on gluconeogenesis by isolated hepatocytes was studied. BHE/cdb male weanling rats were fed one of five diets, which differed in source of protein and/or fat: casein/lactalbumin with corn oil, casein/lactalbumin with menhaden oil + corn oil, egg white with corn oil, egg white with menhaden oil + corn oil, or whole egg. At 74 ± 14 days of age, the rats were killed and isolated hepatocytes were prepared. The cells were incubated with 10 m m lactate, 10 m m pyruvate, 10 m m ethanol and 10 m m lactate, 10 m m lactate and 5 m m NH4Cl, or 10 m m glutamate. The hepatocytes from the rats fed menhaden oil differed little in glucose production from the hepatocytes isolated from rats fed corn oil, regardless of protein source. Glucose production from lactate, pyruvate, lactate + ethanol, and lactate + ammonium chloride was significantly lower in hepatocytes from rats fed whole egg, compared with cells from rats fed the other diets. These data suggest that certain components of whole egg have effects on the control of gluconeogenesis.