Effect of Elevated Dietary Tryptophan on Protein Synthesis in Rat Liver

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Abstract
This study investigated whether rats force-fed for three days an elevated (1%) tryptophan diet compared to a control (0.2% tryptophan) diet had changes in hepatic protein metabolism. Earlier, we showed that a single administration of l-tryptophan to fasted rats caused a rapid increase in hepatic protein synthesis. In the present study rats force-fed a high tryptophan diet for 3 days and killed the fourth morning had increased rates of hepatic protein synthesis, cytochrome P-450 and b5 activities, in vitro nuclear RNA release (cell sap and nuclear effects) and nuclear envelope nucleoside triphosphatase activity compared to animals force-fed the control diet. We noted little or no change in hepatic total polyribosomal aggregation patterns or plasma and hepatic free amino acid levels.