Fatty acid cycling in the fasting rat

• Published in: American journal of physiology: endocrinology and metabolism Vol. 279; no. 1; pp. E221 - E227
• Main Authors: Kalderon, Bella, Mayorek, Nina, Berry, Elliot, Zevit, Noam, Bar-Tana, Jacob
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.07.2000
• Subjects: Adipose Tissue - metabolism; Animals; Body Temperature Regulation - physiology; Esterification; Fasting - physiology; Fatty Acids - metabolism; Hypolipidemic Agents - pharmacology; Lipolysis - physiology; Liver - metabolism; Liver - physiology; Male; Oxidation-Reduction; Palmitic Acids - pharmacology; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Thyroid Hormones - pharmacology; Triglycerides - metabolism
• ISSN: 0193-1849; 1522-1555
• DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.2000.279.1.e221

Department of Human Nutrition and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91120, Israel Adipose tissue lipolysis and fatty acid reesterification by liver and adipose tissue were investigated in rats fasted for 15 h under basal and calorigenic conditions. The fatty acid flux initiated by adipose fat lipolysis in the fasted rat is mostly futile and is characterized by reesterification of 57% of lipolyzed free fatty acid (FFA) back into adipose triglycerides (TG). About two-thirds of FFA reesterification are carried out before FFA release into plasma, whereas the rest consists of plasma FFA extracted by adipose tissue. Thirty-six percent of the fasting lipolytic flux is accounted for by oxidation of plasma FFA, whereas only a minor fraction is channeled into hepatic very low density lipoprotein-triglycerides (VLDL-TG). Total body calorigenesis induced by thyroid hormone treatment and liver-specific calorigenesis induced by treatment with , '-tetramethylhexadecanedioic acid (Medica 16) are characterized by a 1.7- and 1.3-fold increase in FFA oxidation, respectively, maintained by a 1.5-fold increase in adipose fat lipolysis. Hepatic reesterification of plasma FFA into VLDL-TG is negligible under both calorigenic conditions. Hence, total body fatty acid metabolism is regulated by adipose tissue as both source and sink. The futile nature of fatty acid cycling allows for its fine tuning in response to metabolic demands. adipose tissue; lipoproteins; stable isotopes; thyroid hormone; Medica 16