Project Materials

ACTIVITIES OF NA+ K+-ATPASE IN THE LIVER OF NORMAL AND PROTEIN UNDERNOURISHED RATS FED WITH DIET CONTAINING COCONUT OIL

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

The Background of the Study 

An essential enzyme for preserving cellular ion homeostasis, Na+/K+-ATPase is especially necessary for the healthy operation of tissues that require a lot of energy, like the liver.

It helps create and maintain the transmembrane ion gradients necessary for many cellular functions, such as electrical excitability, secondary active transport of nutrients and other ions, and cell volume regulation.

It does this by actively transporting sodium ions (Na+) out of the cell and pumping potassium ions (K+) into the cell at the same time.

A key factor in regulating the production and functioning of Na+/K+-ATPase is diet. The activity and function of this enzyme in various tissues have been found to be influenced by a number of dietary variables, including fatty acids, protein intake, and certain chemicals.

Because of its distinct medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) makeup and possible health advantages, coconut oil has drawn a lot of interest among these variables.

MCFAs, mainly lauric acid (C12:0) and capric acid (C10:0), which are found naturally in coconut oil, differ from long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) in their physicochemical characteristics.

MCFAs provide a quick source of energy since they are quickly ingested and metabolised. Numerous health benefits of coconut oil, such as its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant qualities, have been documented in earlier research.

However, little is known about how it affects the liver’s Na+/K+-ATPase activities, particularly when protein undernutrition is present.

Impaired liver function and changed cellular metabolism can result from protein undernutrition, a condition marked by insufficient protein intake. It is linked to decreased energy availability and changes in a number of enzyme processes that are involved in ion transport and nutrition metabolism.

The liver is particularly vulnerable to the negative consequences of protein undernutrition since it is an essential organ for protein metabolism and detoxification.

Therefore, it becomes imperative to investigate the possible impacts of coconut oil supplementation on the activity of Na+/K+-ATPase in the liver of animals that are malnourished.

Gaining knowledge about how coconut oil affects the liver’s Na+/K+-ATPase activity may help identify the reasons behind its possible advantages for liver function and health.

Additionally, examining how coconut oil and protein undernutrition interact may help determine whether supplementing with coconut oil will lessen the negative effects of protein undernutrition on liver enzyme activity.

Thus, the goal of the current investigation was to examine the activities of Na+/K+-ATPase in the livers of rats that were fed a diet containing coconut oil and rats that were normal and protein undernourished.

We aimed to assess the effects of coconut oil by comparing the activities of Na+/K+-ATPase in the livers of rats fed with and without coconut oil under normal and protein undernourished conditions.