Incorporation of (2-14C)acetate into lipids of mink (Mustela vison) liver and intestine during in vitro and in vivo treatment with aflatoxin B1.

The in vitro and in vivo incorporation of (2-14C)acetate into lipids of mink (Mustela vison) liver and intestines was studied. In vitro, a dose of aflatoxin B1 as small as 7.5 mug/ml of medium reduced by 20% the amount of (2-14C)acetate incorporated into lipids of mink liver slices, whereas 180 mug caused 76% reduction in the synthesis of lipids from the radioactive precusor. Similar inhibition of lipid synthesis by aflatoxin also was observed with tissues from mink intestines and fatty liver. The degree of inhibition (19 to 84% for tissue from intestines and 19 to 64% for tissue from fatty livers) depended on the amount of aflatoxin B1 (7.5 TO 180 MUG) present in the medium. In vivo, a substantially increased amount of 14C-labeled lipids was found in the livers of mink injected with 600 mug of aflatoxin B1 per kg of body weight 20, 28, and 40 h earlier. However, no appreciable difference in incorporation of (2-14C)acetate into lipids was observed between toxin-treated and control animals when these animals were sacrificed and examined for 14C-labeled lipids at 4 and 10 h after toxin was administered.