Some aspects of the metabolism of lecithin and its derivatives in liver.

Recent evidence has renewed speculation as to a possible r81e of phospholipides in the oxidation of fatty acids. Artom (1) has proposed that a choline-containing compound, which is preformed in the tissues in viva, is necessary for the oxidation of fatty acids in isolated systems. Greenbaum and McClean (2) have noted a remarkable agreement between the fatty acid oxidase capacity and the changes in neutral fat content of the liver of animals during treatment with growth hormone. On the basis of other observations (3)) they suggest that neutral fat is first converted into phospholipide, which is, in turn, a vehicle for the oxidation of fatty acids. In a preliminary communication from this Laboratory (4), it was reported that certain lecithin derivatives stimulated oxygen uptake in liver mitochondria. This present paper is a detailed report on these observations.