| Abstract: | The phagocytic activity of the reticuloendothelial system (RES) was evaluated after a single oral administration of soya-bean oil to male rats (15 g/kg). 1. An emulsion of soya-bean oil administered to the rat by gastric intubation activated the phagocytosis of colloidal carbon; the stimulation appeared on the 2nd day after treatment and persisted up to the 3rd day. There was also a relation between the stimulation of RES activity, under our experimental conditions, and the increased level observed in the protein and nucleic acid contents of the liver. 2. In contrast, without emulsion, soya-bean oil depressed the phagocytic activity on the 2nd and 3rd days after administration of the oil. These changes were associated with a diminution in ribonucleic acid and protein contents of the liver. Although the mechanisms of soya-bean oil-induced alterations of phagocytic activity were not clarified, there was a relationship between the RES stimulation or inhibition and the modifications in nucleic acid and protein contents of rat liver. |
