Liver denervation attenuates the hypophagia produced by an imbalanced amino acid diet

We observed previously that totally liver denervated (TLD) rats consumed more of an imbalanced amino acid diet (IAAD) than sham-operated controls (CON). For the present study rats were either CON, TLD, had only the hepatic-vagal branch cut (HVX), or had all nerves on the hepatic artery and portal vein removed (HAPV) (n = 10-11). The rats were prefed a purified basal diet for 9 days then switched to an isoleucine IAAD for 7 days. On days 2-5 all experimental groups consumed more (p < 0.05) of the IAAD than the CON; they also showed less (p < 0.01) weight loss on days 3-7. This experiment showed that either total or partial liver denervations enhanced the intake of an IAAD compared to CON. However, when one considers the anatomical arrangement of the nerves and the surgery technique employed the viral neural pathway may involve the hepatic vagal branch.