ABSTRACT

The attempt of this study is to investigate the activities of sodium-potassium ATPase in the liver of normal and protein undernourished male weaning rats fed with diets containing coconut oil.  Twenty weaning male rats were grouped into four groups, five rats for each. Group A were fed with normal diets, Group B were fed with low protein diets containing 5% casein, Group C were fed with normal diets and coconut oil and Group D were fed with low protein diet and coconut oil. After feeding for a period of six weeks, the rats were sacrificed using cervical dislocation. The liver was harvested and homogenized in iced cold buffer and centrifuged at 4000rpm for 15 minutes. The pellets were discarded and the supernatant was stored.

The result of this study shows that activities of activities of sodium-potassium ATPase in the rat liver were significantly reduced when fed with normal with coconut oil diets compared to normal diets only. However, it was observed that the activities of sodium-potassium ATPase in the rat liver were significantly increased when fed with low protein diets compared to normal diets only. The activities of sodium-potassium ATPase in the rat liver when fed with low protein and coconut oil remain constant against the normal diet, as there was no reaction occurring after a successful evaluation of the results. This result indicates that coconut oil inhibited the activity of sodium-potassium ATPase in the rat liver

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

CHAPTER ONE

1.0     Introduction

1.1     Aim of Study

CHAPTER TWO

2.0     Literature review

2.1     Coconut oil

2.1.1 Health benefits

2.2     Polysaturated fatty acid

2.3     Respiratory Electron Transport Chain

2.4     Sodium-Potassium ATPase (Na+– K+ATPase)

2.5     Mitochondria

2.6     Protein Undernutrition

2.6.1  Mild and moderate malnutrition

2.7     Liver

2.7.1  Synthesis

2.7.2      Liver disease

2.7.3      Fetal blood supply

CHAPTER THREE

3.0     Materials and Methods

3.1     Materials

3.1.1  Chemicals and reagents

3.2     Methods

3.2.1  Animal managements

3.2.2 Feed composition

3.2.3      Body weight determination

3.2.4      Animal sacrifice

3.2.5      Determination of parameters

3.3        Determination of synaptosomal Na+-K+ ATPase activity

3.4     Protein determination

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0     Results

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0     Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendation

5.1     Discussion

5.2     Conclusion

5.3     Recommendation

References

Appendix

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 – The growth curve for normal and protein undernourished rat fed with diet containing coconut oil

Figure 2 – The activities of sodium potassium ATPase in normal and protein undernourished rat

 LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 – Animal group

Table 3- Showing organ weight to body weight ratio and feed

Consumption

  ABBREVIATION

ADP/ATP   Adenosine 5-diphosphate/ Adenosine 5 triphosphate

Na+             Sodium

BSA            Bovine serum albumin

CuSO4              Copper sulphate

EPA            Environmental protection agency

ETC            Electron transport chain

HCN           Hydrogen cyanide

K+                         Potassium

LP               Low protein

Na2CO3           Sodium carbonate

NaOH         Sodium hydroxide

NP              Normal protein

PU              Protein undernutrition