Inhibition Of Palmitate Oxidation Research Articles

Perfluoroalkyl acids-induced liver steatosis: Effects on genes controlling lipid homeostasis.

Persistent presence of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in the environment is due to their extensive use in industrial and consumer products, and their slow decay. Biochemical tests in rodent demonstrated that these chemicals are potent modifiers of lipid metabolism and cause hepatocellular steatosis. However, the molecular mechanism of PFAAs interference with lipid metabolism remains to be elucidated. Currently, two major hypotheses are that PFAAs interfere with mitochondrial beta-oxidation of fatty acids and/or they affect the transcriptional activity of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) in liver. To determine the ability of structurally-diverse PFAAs to cause steatosis, as well as to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms, wild-type (WT) and PPARα-null mice were treated with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), or perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), by oral gavage for 7days, and their effects were compared to that of PPARα agonist WY-14643 (WY), which does not cause steatosis. Increases in liver weight and cell size, and decreases in DNA content per mg of liver, were observed for all compounds in WT mice, and were also seen in PPARα-null mice for PFOA, PFNA, and PFHxS, but not for WY. In Oil Red O stained sections, WT liver showed increased lipid accumulation in all treatment groups, whereas in PPARα-null livers, accumulation was observed after PFNA and PFHxS treatment, adding to the burden of steatosis observed in control (untreated) PPARα-null mice. Liver triglyceride (TG) levels were elevated in WT mice by all PFAAs and in PPARα-null mice only by PFNA. In vitro β-oxidation of palmitoyl carnitine by isolated rat liver mitochondria was not inhibited by any of the 7 PFAAs tested. Likewise, neither PFOA nor PFOS inhibited palmitate oxidation by HepG2/C3A human liver cell cultures. Microarray analysis of livers from PFAAs-treated mice indicated that the PFAAs induce the expression of the lipid catabolism genes, as well as those involved in fatty acid and triglyceride synthesis, in WT mice and, to a lesser extent, in PPARα-null mice. These results indicate that most of the PFAAs increase liver TG load and promote steatosis in mice We hypothesize that PFAAs increase steatosis because the balance of fatty acid accumulation/synthesis and oxidation is disrupted to favor accumulation.

Abstract 282: Adropin Enhancement of Cardiac Insulin Sensitivity and Inhibition of Fatty Acid Oxidation are Associated With Improvement of Cardiac Function and Efficiency in Hearts From Fasted Mice

Impaired cardiac insulin signaling and high cardiac fatty acid oxidation rates are characteristics of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Potential roles for liver-derived metabolic factors in mediating cardiac energy homeostasis are underappreciated. Plasma levels of adropin, a liver secreted peptide, increase during feeding and decrease during fasting and diabetes. In skeletal muscle, adropin preferentially promotes glucose over fatty acid oxidation. We therefore determined what effect adropin has on cardiac energy metabolism, insulin signaling and cardiac efficiency. C57Bl/6 mice were fasted to accentuate the differences in adropin plasma levels between animals injected 3 times over 24 hr with either vehicle or adropin (450 nmol/kg i.p.). Despite fasting-induced predominance of fatty acid oxidation measured in isolated working hearts, insulin inhibition of fatty acid oxidation was re-established in adropin-treated mice (from 1022±143 to 517±56 nmol. g dry wt -1 . min -1 , p <0.05) compared to vehicle-treated mice (from 757±104 to 818±103 nmol. g dry wt -1 . min -1 ). Adropin-treated mice hearts showed higher cardiac work over the course of perfusion (p<0.05 vs. vehicle), which was accompanied by improved cardiac efficiency and enhanced phosphorylation of insulin signaling enzymes (tyrosine-IRS-1, AS160, p<0.05). Acute addition of adropin (2nM) to isolated working hearts from non-fasting mice showed a robust stimulation of glucose oxidation compared to vehicle-treated hearts (3025±401 vs 1708±292 nmol. g dry wt -1 . min -1 , p<0.05, respectively) with a corresponding inhibition of palmitate oxidation (325±61 vs 731±160 nmol. g dry wt -1 . min -1 , p<0.05, respectively), even in the presence of insulin. Acute adropin addition to hearts also increased IRS-1 tyrosine-phosphorylation as well as Akt, and GSK3β phosphorylation (p<0.05), suggesting acute receptor- and/or post-translational modification-mediated mechanisms. These results suggest adropin as a putative candidate for the treatment of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Enhanced Glucose Metabolism Is Preserved in Cultured Primary Myotubes From Obese Donors in Response to Exercise Training

It was suggested that human cultured primary myotubes retain the metabolic characteristics of their donor in vitro. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the metabolic responses to endurance training are also conserved in culture. Middle-aged obese subjects completed an 8-week supervised aerobic exercise training program in which vastus lateralis muscle biopsies were collected before and after training. Anthropometric and blood parameters, as well as aerobic capacity, were assessed before and after training. Muscle biopsies were either used for Western blot analysis or digested to harvest myogenic progenitors that were differentiated into myotubes. Glucose oxidation, palmitate oxidation, and glycogen synthesis assays were performed on myotubes before and after training. Gene expression was assessed by real-time quantitative PCR. Our data indicate that in parallel of in vivo improvement of whole-body aerobic capacity and glucose metabolism, biopsy-derived primary myotubes showed similar patterns in vitro. Indeed, glucose oxidation, glycogen synthesis, and inhibition of palmitate oxidation by glucose were enhanced in myotubes after training. This was associated with consistent changes in the expression of metabolism-linked genes such as GLUT1, PDK4, and PDHA1. Interestingly, no difference in myogenic differentiation capacity was observed before and after training. Aerobic exercise training is associated with metabolic adaptations in vivo that are preserved in human cultured primary myotubes. It can be hypothesized that skeletal muscle microenvironmental changes induced by endurance training lead to metabolic imprinting on myogenic progenitor cells.

Carvedilol suppresses fatty acid oxidation and stimulates glycolysis in C2C12 cells

Beta adrenergic receptor blocking drugs (β-blockers) are used chronically in many cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, ischemic heart disease, arrhythmia, and heart failure. Beneficial effects are associated with the inhibition of symphathetic nervous system hyperactivity, reduction of heart rate, and remodeling by blocking the mitogenic activity of catecholamines. A possible effect of β-blockers on substrate metabolism has also been suggested. The direct effects of β-blockers on mouse C2C12 cells were investigated in this study. C2C12 cells were grown in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) and differentiated into myotubes in the same medium that contained 1% FBS. Palmitic acid oxidation and glycolysis were measured by using [9,10-(3)H]palmitate and [5-(3)H]glucose, respectively. The amount of (3)H(2)O was measured as an indicator of substrate usage. Carvedilol (100 µmol/L) inhibited palmitate oxidation and increased glycolysis by nearly 50%. Prazosin altered substrate metabolism in a similar fashion as carvedilol, whereas propranolol or bisoprolol were devoid of metabolic effects. When added to mimic sympathetic activation, epinephrine stimulated glycolysis but did not alter fatty acid oxidation. Based on these results, carvedilol appears to have direct effects on substrate metabolism that are related to the blockade of α1 adrenergic receptors.

Skeletal muscle fatty acid oxidation is not directly associated with AMPK or ACC2 phosphorylation

Rescue of palmitate-induced insulin resistance has been linked with improvements in fatty acid oxidation, but importantly, not always with concurrently altered AMPK or ACC2 phosphorylation. Therefore, we examined the interrelationships among AMPK, ACC2, and fatty acid oxidation under 12 controlled conditions in isolated muscle. Incubation of soleus muscle (0-12 h) did not alter fatty acid oxidation, but did increase AMPK and ACC2 phosphorylation (24%-30%). Muscle incubation with palmitate (2mmol·L(-1)) inhibited palmitate oxidation (∼55%), but paradoxically, this was associated with increased AMPK and ACC2 phosphorylation (∼50%). Addition of an AMPK activator (thujone) to control (no palmitate) muscle increased AMPK and ACC2 phosphorylation (∼25%) but did not alter palmitate oxidation. Addition of AMPK inhibitors, compound C (50µmol·L(-1)) or adenine 9-β-d-arabinofuranoside (Ara; 2.5mmol·L(-1)), to thujone-treated muscles (no palmitate) did not alter palmiate oxidation but reduced AMPK phosphorylation (32%-42%), while ACC2 phosphorylation remained above basal level (+14%-18%). Finally, in palmitate-treated muscle, thujone increased AMPK (+100%) and ACC2 phosphorylation (+52%) and restored palmitate oxidation. Compound C or Ara, administered along with thujone in palmitate-treated muscle, only partly blunted palmitate oxidation recovery despite inhibiting AMPK phosphorylation (-22%), although ACC2 phosphorylation remained upregulated (+33%). Among these experiments, AMPK phosphorylation and ACC2 phosphorylation were positively correlated. However, AMPK phosphorylation was not correlated with palmitate oxidation, and unexpectedly, palmitate oxidation was negatively correlated with ACC2 phosphorylation. Our study, in accordance with a growing body of evidence, indicates that neither AMPK phosphorylation nor ACC2 phosphorylation is by itself an appropriate marker of fatty acid oxidation, and further serves to question their regulatory role.

Dissociation Between Metabolic and Efficiency Effects of Perhexiline in Normoxic Rat Myocardium

The antianginal agent perhexiline inhibits rat cardiac carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT-1) and CPT-2, key enzymes for mitochondrial transport of long-chain fatty acids. We tested the hypothesis that perhexiline, in therapeutic concentrations (2 microM), inhibits palmitate oxidation and enhances glucose oxidation in isolated rat cardiomyocytes and in the working rat heart, thereby increasing efficiency of oxygen utilization. In isolated cardiomyocytes, perhexiline (2 microM) exerted no acute effects on palmitate oxidation, but after 48 hours pre-exposure oxidation was inhibited by perhexiline (2 to 10 microM) by 15% to 35% (P < 0.0002). In non-ischemic working rat hearts (3%BSA, 0.4 mM palmitate, 11 mM glucose, 100 microU/mL insulin) perhexiline (2 microM) had no significant acute effect on cardiac efficiency, palmitate or glucose oxidation, but 24 hours pretreatment with transdermal perhexiline increased cardiac work (by 29%, P < 0.05) and cardiac efficiency (by 30%, P < 0.02) without significant effects on palmitate oxidation. The selective CPT-1 inhibitor oxfenicine (2 mM) inhibited palmitate oxidation and enhanced glucose oxidation, but failed to enhance cardiac efficiency. In conclusion, in the non-ischemic working rat heart, perhexiline increases myocardial efficiency by a mechanism(s) that is largely or entirely independent of its effects on CPT. Effects on cardiac efficiency during ischemia, and with changes in fatty acid oxidation after longer perhexiline pretreatment remain to be determined.

Evidence of a malonyl-CoA-insensitive carnitine palmitoyltransferase I activity in red skeletal muscle.

Carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT I), which is expressed as two distinct isoforms in liver (alpha) and muscle (beta), catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the transport of fatty acid into the mitochondria. Malonyl-CoA, a potent inhibitor of CPT I, is considered a key regulator of fatty acid oxidation in both tissues. Still unanswered is how muscle beta-oxidation proceeds despite malonyl-CoA concentrations that exceed the IC(50) for CPT Ibeta. We evaluated malonyl-CoA-suppressible [(14)C]palmitate oxidation and CPT I activity in homogenates of red (RG) and white (WG) gastrocnemius, soleus (SOL), and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles. Adding 10 microM malonyl-CoA inhibited palmitate oxidation by 29, 39, 60, and 89% in RG, SOL, EDL, and WG, respectively. Thus malonyl-CoA resistance, which correlated strongly (0.678) with absolute oxidation rates (RG > SOL > EDL > WG), was greater in red than in white muscles. Similarly, malonyl-CoA-resistant palmitate oxidation and CPT I activity were greater in mitochondria from RG compared with WG. Ribonuclease protection assays were performed to evaluate whether our data might be explained by differential expression of CPT I splice variants. We detected the presence of two CPT Ibeta splice variants that were more abundant in red compared with white muscle, but the relative expression of the two mRNA species was unrelated to malonyl-CoA resistance. These results provide evidence of a malonyl-CoA-insensitive CPT I activity in red muscle, suggesting fiber type-specific expression of distinct CPT I isoforms and/or posttranslational modulations that have yet to be elucidated.

Insulin-like effects of a physiologic concentration of carnitine on cardiac metabolism.

Pharmacologic (millimolar) levels of carnitine have been reported to increase myocardial glucose oxidation, but whether physiologically relevant concentrations of carnitine affect cardiac metabolism is not known. We employed the isolated, perfused rat heart to compare the effects of physiologic levels of carnitine (50 microM) and insulin (75 mU/l [0.5 nM]) on the following metabolic processes: (1) glycolysis (release of 3H2O from 5-3H-glucose); (2) oxidation of glucose and pyruvate (production of 14CO2 from U-14C-glucose, 1-14C-glucose, 3,4-14C-glucose, 1-14C-pyruvate, and 2-14C-pyruvate); and (3) oxidation of palmitate (release of 3H2O from 9,10-3H-palmitate). We found that addition of carnitine (50 microM) to a perfusate containing both glucose (10 mM) and palmitate (0.5 mM) stimulated glycolytic flux by 20%, nearly doubled the rate of glucose oxidation, and inhibited palmitate oxidation by 20%. These actions of carnitine were uniformly similar to those of insulin. When carnitine and insulin were administered together, their effects on the oxidation of glucose and palmitate, but not on glycolysis, were additive. When pyruvate (1 mM) was substituted for glucose, neither carnitine nor insulin influenced the rate of oxidation of pyruvate or palmitate. In combination, however, carnitine and insulin sharply suppressed pyruvate oxidation (75%) and doubled the rate of palmitate oxidation. None of the responses to carnitine or insulin was affected by varying the isotopic labeling of glucose or pyruvate. The results show that carnitine, at normal blood levels, exerts insulin-like effects on myocardial fuel utilization. They also suggest that plasma carnitine in vivo may interact with insulin both additively and permissively on the metabolism of carbohydrates and fatty acids.

The mechanism of inhibition of β-oxidation by aspirin metabolites in skin fibroblasts from Reye’s syndrome patients and controls

The effects of aspirin metabolites on β-oxidation were studied in skin fibroblasts from eight typical Reye’s syndrome (RS) patients and controls. RS patients’ cells did not differ from controls in rates of palmitate oxidation or in the three component activities of the mitochondrial trifunctional enzyme (MTE), indicating no inherited β-oxidation defect. Aspirin metabolites salicylate, hydroxyhippurate and gentisate, but not aspirin, directly inhibited palmitate oxidation in control and RS cells. RS cells were significantly more sensitive to inhibition than controls at 0.5 to 5 mM salicylate. Inhibition was concentration-dependent and reversible. Inhibition did not occur in fibroblasts lacking activity of the long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (LCHAD) activity of MTE. Salicylate was therefore inhibiting β-oxidation at this step. Hydroxyhippurate and salicylate reversibly inhibited HAD activities in extracts of control and RS cells. Studies with pure short-chain HAD and LCHAD (MTE) showed hydroxyhippurate and salicylate were competitive inhibitors of the former but mixed (not competitive) inhibitors of the latter. Both compounds inhibited the combined, three-step, MTE reaction measured in the physiological direction. We conclude that (1) salicylate and hydroxyhippurate decrease β-oxidation in intact cells by reversible inhibition of LCHAD activity of the MTE, and (2) β-oxidation in RS cells is inherently more sensitive to inhibition by low concentrations of salicylate than controls.

Acute and Chronic Effects of Adriamycin on Fatty Acid Oxidation in Isolated Cardiac Myocytes

This study was designed to determine if acute (in vitro) or chronic (in vivo) adriamycin inhibits cardiac fatty acid oxidation and if so at what sites in the fatty acid oxidation pathway. In addition, the role ofl-carnitine in reversing or preventing this effect was examined. We determined the effects of adriamycin in the presence or absence ofl-carnitine on the oxidation of the metabolic substrates [1-14C]palmitate, [1-14C] octanoate, [1-14C]butyrate, [U-14C]glucose, and [2-14C]pyruvate in isolated cardiac myocytes. Acute exposure to adriamycin caused a concentration- and time-dependent inhibition of carnitine palmitoyl transferase I (CPT I) dependent long-chain fatty acid, palmitate, oxidation. Chronic exposure to (18 mg/kg) adriamycin inhibited palmitate oxidation 40% to a similar extent seenin vitrowith 0.5 mmadriamycin. Acute or chronic administration ofl-carnitine completely abolished the adriamycin-induced inhibition of palmitate oxidation. Interestingly, medium- and short-chain fatty acid oxidation, which are independent of CPT I, were also inhibited acutely by adriamycin and could be reversed byl-carnitine. In isolated rat heart mitochondria, adriamycin significantly decreased oxidation of the CPT I dependent substrate palmitoyl-CoA by 50%. However, the oxidation of a non-CPT I dependent substrate palmitoylcarnitine was unaffected by adriamycin except at concentrations greater than 1 mm. These data suggest that afterin vitroorin vivoadministration, adriamycin, inhibits fatty acid oxidation in part secondary to inhibition of CPT I and/or depletion of its substrate,l-carnitine, in cardiac tissue. However, these findings also suggest thatl-carnitine plays an additional role in fatty acid oxidation independent of CPT I or fatty acid chain length.

Differential inhibition of lipolysis by 2-bromopalmitic acid and 4-bromocrotonic acid in 3T3-L1 adipocytes

Two inhibitors of fatty acid oxidation, 2-bromopalmitic acid (Br-C16) and 4-bromocrotonic acid (Br-C4) were examined for their effect on lipolysis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Both agents inhibited in a dose-dependent manner the rate of oxidation of exogenously added [1- 14C]palmitate with similar time-courses, reaching a plateau at 3–9 h. While Br-C16 at 50 μM and 100 μM inhibited palmitate oxidation by approximately 40% and 60%, respectively, pretreatment with both concentrations inhibited lipolysis in washed cells in an almost identical manner. The magnitude of inhibition increased with time of pretreatment. On the other hand, like inhibition of fatty acid oxidation, inhibition of lipolysis by Br-C4 pretreatment was dose-dependent with maximal inhibition reached after 3 h pretreatment. The finding that isoproterenol- and dibutyryl cAMP-stimulated lipolysis were similarly suppressed by either Br-C4 or Br-C16 pretreatment, suggesting that a step distal to cAMP formation was involved. In addition, while the inhibitory effect of Br-C16 was not significantly influenced, the inhibition of lipolysis caused by Br-C4 was attenuated by pretreating cells with crotonic acid, octanoate, or palmitate. The longer chain-length of the fatty acids the cells were exposed, the stronger attenuation of the inhibition caused by Br-C4 was observed. Moreover, whereas pretreatment with Br-C16 was without effect, pretreatment with Br-C4 significantly decreased hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) activity in cell extracts, albeit to an extent much smaller than its inhibitory effect on lipolysis. In conclusion, these results indicate that irreversible inhibition of lipolysis by Br-C16 or Br-C4 cannot be attributed to their effect on fatty acid oxidation. Some factor capable of modulating HSL activity seems to be involved.

More Direct Evidence for a Malonyl-CoA–Carnitine Palmitoyltransferase I Interaction as a Key Event in Pancreatic β-Cell Signaling

We sought to explore the emerging concept that malonyl-CoA generation, with concomitant suppression of mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT I), represents an important component of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) by the pancreatic beta-cell (Prentki M, Vischer S, Glennon MC, Regazzi R, Deeney JT, Corkey BE: Malonyl-CoA and long-chain acyl-CoA esters as metabolic coupling factors in nutrient-induced insulin secretion. J Biol Chem 267:5802-5810, 1992). Accordingly, pancreases from fed rats were perfused with basal (3 mM) followed by high (20 mM) glucose in the absence or presence of 2 mM hydroxycitrate (HC), an inhibitor of ATP-citrate (CIT) lyase (the penultimate step in the glucose-->malonyl-CoA conversion). HC profoundly inhibited GSIS, whereas CIT had no effect. Inclusion of 0.5 mM palmitate in the perfusate significantly enhanced GSIS and completely offset the negative effect of HC. In isolated islets, HC stimulated [1-14C]palmitate oxidation in the presence of basal glucose and markedly obtunded the inhibitory effect of high glucose. Directional changes in 14C incorporation into phospholipids were opposite to those of 14CO2 production. At a concentration of 0.2 mM, 2-bromostearate, 2-bromopalmitate and etomoxir (all CPT I inhibitors) potentiated GSIS by the pancreas and inhibited palmitate oxidation in islets. However, at 0.05 mM, etomoxir did not influence insulin secretion but still caused significant suppression of fatty acid oxidation. The results provide more direct evidence for a pivotal role of malonyl-CoA suppression of CPT I, with attendant elevation of the cytosolic long-chain acyl-CoA concentration, in GSIS from the normal pancreatic beta-cell.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The inhibition of long-chain fatty acyl-CoA synthetase by enoximone in rat heart mitochondria.

The mechanism by which enoximone, a reported phosphodiesterase inhibitor, inhibits the oxidation of long-chain fatty acids was studied in isolated rat heart mitochondria using a series of 14C-labeled substrates. Enoximone decreased palmitate oxidation in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Fifty percent inhibition of palmitate oxidation was achieved with 250 microM of enoximone. In contrast to its effect on palmitate, enoximone (250 microM) increased octanoate oxidation by 30%, whereas pyruvate oxidation was unaffected by enoximone. At that dose there was no effect on the oxidation of palmitoyl-CoA and palmitoyl carnitine. The degree of palmitate oxidation inhibited by enoximone was parallel to the inhibition of acyl-CoA synthetase in both rat heart mitochondria and microsomes. These results suggest that enoximone is a reversible inhibitor of long-chain fatty acyl-CoA synthetase. Moreover, the reaction, which is catalyzed by this enzyme, is a rate-limiting step in the pathway of fatty acid oxidation in rat heart mitochondria.

Effects of inhibition of fatty acid oxidation on myocardial kinetics of 11C-labeled palmitate.

The effects of glucose and lactate infusion on palmitate oxidation were compared with the effect of 2-tetradecylglycidic acid (TDGA), an irreversible inhibitor of the carnitine acyltransferase I, in normoxic canine myocardium. The initial capillary transit retention fraction of [1-11C]palmitate and its fractional distribution between oxidation and esterification in myocardium were measured by the residue detection method after intracoronary tracer injection, as well as by effluent measurements of 11CO2, the end product of palmitate oxidation. TDGA reduced the initial capillary transit retention fraction (from 56 +/- 13% to 37 +/- 6%; p less than 0.001) and oxidation of palmitate (n = 19), as also evidenced by the decrease in the fraction of tracer released as 11CO2 from 28 +/- 5% to 6 +/- 3% (p less than 0.001). Infusion of carbohydrate (glucose or lactate; n = 6) reduced 11CO2 production from 30 +/- 7% to 7 +/- 4% (p less than 0.05) but did not alter the initial capillary transit retention fraction of tracer (59 +/- 5% vs. 56 +/- 10%; NS). The latter was due to increased esterification into neutral lipids (41 +/- 11% of injected palmitate after carbohydrate infusion versus 21 +/- 12% in control conditions), as measured from multiexponential curve fittings. When carbohydrates were given after inhibition of palmitate oxidation by TDGA (n = 7), the 11C tissue clearance kinetics were strikingly similar to those observed after carbohydrate infusion alone. Thus, enhanced metabolic trapping of [1-11C]palmitate in myocardium resulted in initial capillary transit retention fractions that were not different from control conditions (41 +/- 5% vs. 48 +/- 12%; NS) despite inhibition of oxidation. The results show that the intracellular metabolism of palmitate contributes to the control of its uptake by myocardium. The findings are consistent with inhibition of palmitate oxidation by carbohydrates occurring at the same site as TDGA.

An explanation for decreased ketogenesis in the liver of the obese Zucker rat

These studies were undertaken to further characterize and explain the differences in hepatic fatty acid metabolism between lean and obese Zucker rats. It was shown that the rate of palmitate or octanoate oxidation and the inhibition of palmitate oxidation by malonyl CoA in mitochondria isolated from lean and obese Zucker rats were similar. Cytochrome oxidase activity was similar in lean and obese rat livers. It was found that the addition of cytosol from the obese rat liver inhibited palmitate oxidation by 20-30% in mitochondria isolated from lean or obese rat livers and thus reproduced the conditions observed in the intact cell. Increased concentrations of metabolites such as malonyl CoA and glycerophosphate in the liver of the obese rat are likely contributors to this inhibitory effect. These results are extrapolated to the intact cell and suggest that decreased hepatic fatty acid oxidation in the obese rat can be accounted for by cytosolic influences on the mitochondria. The decreased rate of fatty acid oxidation observed in the intact hepatocyte or perfused liver cannot be explained by a defect in the capacity of mitochondria to oxidize substrate or by a decrease in mitochondrial number in the obese rat liver.

Inhibition of fatty acid beta oxidation by influenza B virus and salicylic acid in mice: implications for Reye's syndrome.

Injection of concentrated influenza B/Lee/40 virus into 4-week-old Balb C mice resulted in 60% inhibition of 14C-palmitate oxidation in isolated hepatic mitochondria. Oral feeding of carnitine to infected mice prevented the inhibition of fatty acid oxidation. High concentrations of salicylic acid given orally also inhibited 14C-palmitate oxidation. Serum free fatty acid concentrations of infected mice and of those fed salicylic acid were significantly higher than in control mice. A combination of low-dose virus and low-dose salicylic acid inhibited palmitate oxidation, suggesting an additive effect on the metabolic derangement when the two agents were present simultaneously.

Effect of the fatty acid oxidation inhibitor 2-tetradecylglycidic acid (TDGA) on glucose and fatty acid oxidation in isolated rat soleus muscle

1. 1. The effect of 2-tetradecylglycidic acid (TDGA), a potent, specific inhibitor of long-chain fatty acid oxidation, on fatty acid and glucose oxidation by isolated rat soleus muscle was studied. 2. 2. TDGA inhibited [1- 14C]palmitate oxidation by soleus muscle in a concentration-dependent manner. 3. 3. TDGA inhibited the activity of soleus muscle mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase A (CPT-A). 4. 4. Added palmitate (0.5 mM) significantly inhibited d-[U- 14C]glucose oxidation and, under conditions where TDGA inhibited palmitate oxidation, the oxidation of d-[U- 14C]glucose by isolated soleus muscle was significantly stimulated. 5. 5. TDGA stimulation of glucose oxidation was reversed by octanoate, a medium-chain fatty acid whose oxidation is not inhibited by TDGA. 6. 6. When nondiabetic rats were treated with TDGA (10 mg/kg p.o./day × 3 days), fasting plasma glucose was significantly lowered and the ability of isolated contralateral soleus muscles to oxidize palmitate was inhibited while glucose oxidation was significantly stimulated.

Aspects of the Regulation of Long-Chain Fatty Acid Oxidation in Bovine Liver

Factors involved in regulation of bovine hepatic fatty acid oxidation were examined using liver slices. Fatty acid oxidation was measured as the conversion of 1-[14C]palmitate to 14CO2 and total [14C] acid-soluble metabolites. Extended (5 to 7 d) fasting of Holstein cows had relatively little effect on palmitate oxidation to acid-soluble metabolites by liver slices, although oxidation to CO2 was decreased. Feeding a restricted roughage, high concentrate ration to lactating cows resulted in inhibition of palmitate oxidation. Insulin, glucose, and acetate inhibited palmitate oxidation by bovine liver slices. We suggest the regulation of bovine hepatic fatty acid oxidation may be less dependent on hormonally induced alterations in enzyme activity as observed in rat liver and more dependent upon action of rumen fermentation products or their metabolites on enzyme systems involved in fatty acid oxidation.

Control of Bovine Hepatic Fatty Acid Oxidation

Fatty acid oxidation by bovine liver slices and mitochondria was examined to determine potential regulatory sites of fatty acid oxidation. Conversion of 1-[14C]palmitate to 14CO2 and total [14C] acid-soluble metabolites was used to measure fatty acid oxidation. Oxidation of palmitate (1mM) was linear in both liver slice weight and incubation time. Carnitine stimulated palmitate oxidation; 2mM dl-carnitine produced maximal stimulation of palmitate oxidation to both CO2 and acid-soluble metabolites. Propionate (10mM) inhibited palmitate oxidation by bovine liver slices. Clofenapate, an inhibitor of fatty acid esterification, alone increased palmitate oxidation and was able to prevent the propionate-induced inhibition of palmitate oxidation by liver slices. Propionate (.5 to 10mM) had no effect on palmitate oxidation by mitochondria, but malonyl Coenzyme A, the first committed intermediate of fatty acid synthesis, inhibited mitochondrial palmitate oxidation (inhibition constant = .3 µM). Liver mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.21) exhibited Michaelis constants for palmitoyl Coenzyme A and 1-carnitine of 11.5 µM and .59mM, respectively. Long-chain fatty acid oxidation in bovine liver is regulated by mechanisms similar to those in rats but adapted to the unique digestive physiology of the bovine.

Regulation of substrate oxidation in isolated myocardial cells by beta-hydroxybutyrate.

The role of ketone bodies in myocardial substrate oxidation was examined using freshly isolated Ca2+-tolerant heart myocytes, beta-hydroxybutyrate (beta OHB) inhibited lactate oxidation by the myocytes by 30-60%, and the inhibition was concentration dependent. Palmitate oxidation was also markedly decreased, whereas octanoate oxidation was only minimally affected by the presence of beta OHB. Lactate, octanoate, or palmitate had little, if any, effect on beta OHB oxidation. beta OHB oxidation was reduced by 22-28% in myocytes isolated from chronically diabetic rats, whereas the oxidation of palmitate remained similar to the controls. However, beta OHB still inhibited palmitate oxidation to the same extent as in the control cells. Our data support the role of beta OHB as a physiologic regulator of myocardial substrate metabolism.