Fat Cell Diameter Research Articles

Triglyceride Synthesis in Human Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue Cells of Different Size

Abstract Human adipose tissue fat cells, liberated by eollagenase treatment, were separated into different sizes with a technique utilizing the differences in flotation rates of large and small fat cells in a physiological medium. — Incubation of fat cells after treatment with collagenase caused a pronounced breakage of fat cells. Therefore only incorporation of radioactivity from l‐14C‐glucose into triglyceride but not into carbon dioxide could be measured in separated fat cells. When collagenase‐liberated fat cells were incubated with radioactive glucose, radioactivity in the triglycerides increased with fat cell diameter in the remaining intact fat cells. When intact adipose tissue was incubated with radioactive glucose and then subjected to collagenase treatment, followed by separation of fat cells into different fat cell size classes, the same phenomenon was observed, namely a significant positive correlation between fat cell size and incorporation of radioactivity from glucose into triglycerides in adipose tissue with a wide range of fat cell diameters. Insulin response was small and varying. The dependence of triglyceride synthesis on fat cell size varied in different adipose tissue samples.