Abstract
Thyroid hormones regulate lipid metabolism by affecting lipogenesis as well as lipolysis. The present paper discusses the way thyroidectomy induced an enhancement in lipogenesis in rat fat cells. The doubling in the conversion of glucose to CO 2 and fatty acids seen after thyroidectomy was found to be due to a modification in the actual pathway of glucose metabolism: there was a preferential stimulation of the conversion of glucose to CO 2 by the pentose cycle (utilisation of [1- 14C]glucose) while the production of fatty acids and glyceride-glycerol proceeded, respectively, much more, or only slightly more, via the pathway of [6- 14C]glucose metabolism. Studies employing the phosphodiesterase inhibitor MIX, or the cyclic AMP analogue, DBcAMP showed that the lipogenic process depends on cyclic AMP. As the stimulatory effect of thyroidectomy was not abolished, however, lipogenesis must be under the independent control of both cyclic AMP and absence of thyroid hormones. Insulin, a further mediator of lipogenesis was found to further enhance the already preexisting high conversion of glucose to CO 2 in fat cells from thyroidectomized rats. It is concluded that at least three factors modify lipogenesis: thyroidectomy, cyclic AMP and insulin; each achieving its effect in an independent manner.
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