Earlier studies by other investigators have shown that
S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) has the capacity to attenuate liver injury in experimental animals. In a recent study in this laboratory, it was shown that when supplemental dietary
betaine was given to control and
ethanol-fed rats at the level of 0.50% (W/V), SAM levels were doubled in the livers of control animals and increased fivefold in livers of
ethanol-fed rats. The increased levels of SAM in the livers of
ethanol-fed animals protected the livers from fatty infiltration due to
ethanol feeding. In this study, an attempt was made to determine the minimum level of dietary
betaine that protects against the fatty infiltration. Levels of
betaine at 0.05%, 0.10%, 0.25%, and 0.50% in semiliquid control and alcohol diets were tested in rats for 30 days. When hepatic
betaine, SAM, and
triglyceride levels were determined, it was demonstrated that only the dietary level of
betaine at 0.50% supplied enough hepatic
betaine to generate the level of SAM that was required to protect against the alcoholic steatosis resulting from the dietary
ethanol. These results suggest that
betaine, when given in sufficient amounts, may be a promising therapeutic agent in the treatment of
liver disease.