Age-dependence of the lateral mobility of lipids in hepatocyte plasma membrane of male rats and the effect of life-long dietary restriction

The lateral diffusion constant of lipids (D1) in hepatocyte plasma membranes was measured in liver smears by means of the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) method, applying the label, N-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazolyl phosphatidylethanolamine (NBD-PE). Nineteen ad libitum fed, male Fischer-344 rats in four age groups (2.1–29.8 months of age) were studied. A highly significant negative linear age-correlation of D1 (cc = 0.958) was found. D1 values were 1.39 x 10−9 cm2/s in the young rats, and only 6.77 x 10−10 cm2/s in the oldest rats. Lipid lateral mobility is changing in parallel with that of proteins, having been measured previously also with the FRAP method by the authors. Fractional recovery values (FR%) of the lipids were lower than those of proteins even in the young ages, but also decreased linearly with age, therefore, the parameter, D, x FR decreased even steeper with age than D1 itself. D1 was also measured in a group of six male Fischer 344 rats having been kept on dietary restriction (DR) since their age of 1 month until 30 months of age (applying the every-other-day (EOD) feeding). DR caused an increase of D1, compared with the age-matched ad libitum fed animals: the mean was 9.24 x 10−10 cm2/s. FR% and DI, x FR again increased considerably under DR. The results are interpreted in terms of the increased protein and lipid turnover under DR.