The Effect of Clofibrate Feeding on Enzyme Activities and Mitochondrial Protein Content in Rat Liver and Renal Cortex

When administered to rats, clofibrate (ethylchlorophenoxyisobutyrate), the effective hypolipidemic drug, has been shown to cause induction of malic enzyme in the liver and renal cortex but not in heart and skeletal muscle (Żelewski and Świerczynski 1983). Clofibrate also exhibits an inducing effect on mitochondrial protein content in the liver (Lipsky and Pedersen 1982). The tissue specificity of drug action, the bimodal distribution of malic enzyme between mitochondria and cytosol of renal cortex (Nolte et al. 1972), and the involvement of enzyme induction by Clofibrate in the detoxification processes (Żelewski et al. in preparation) caused the search for the drug effect on mitochondrial protein content and enzyme activities in rat renal cortex, the tissue playing a minor role in the drug metabolism.