Effect of nutrition on activity and release of lipase from rat adipose tissue

Abstract

Surviving rat adipose tissue induced lipolysis of a coconut oil emulsion as evidenced by a rise in the nonesterified fatty acid content of the medium following incubation. When tissue from fed rats was used addition of heparin to the medium accentuated this reaction, which, once initiated under these circumstances, continued unabated after the fat tissue was withdrawn. Heparin had no effect when fat from fasted rats was used, but the heparin response was restored by addition of glucose and insulin to the medium. Homogenates of fat from fed animals had significantly more lipolytic activity than those from fasted rats. It is concluded that lipolytic activity can be released from surviving adipose tissue of fed rats under the influence of heparin. The increase in activity in the fed state suggests that the lipase of adipose tissue may be concerned with the accumulation of fat in depots possibly by influencing the incorporation of chylomicrons into adipose tissue.