Sex and strain dependency of age-related changes in protein synthesis of isolated rat hepatocytes

In previous studies, a decrease in protein synthesis by hepatocytes isolated from female WAG/Rij rats was observed in the first year of life, while an increase was seen in advanced age. In the present study, no change in protein synthesis in early age was found for hepatocytes isolated from male WAG/Rij and female BN/Bi rats, suggesting that the decline in protein synthesis is sex and strain dependent. In contrast, the increase in protein synthesis in advanced age could be demonstrated with hepatocytes from male WAG/Rij and female BN/Bi rats and therefore seems to be independent of strain and sex. The increase in protein synthesis in advanced age could not be attributed to increased excretion of protein in the urine.