Inhibition of hepatic fatty acid oxidation at carnitine palmitoyltransferase I by the peroxisome proliferator 2-hydroxy-3-propyl-4-[6-(tetrazol-5-yl) hexyloxy]acetophenone.

Recent studies suggest that the induction of peroxisomal beta-oxidation in rodents may represent an adaptive response to disturbances in hepatic lipid metabolism. The following studies were done to determine the effects of 2-hydroxy-3-propyl-4-[6-(tetrazol-5-yl)hexyloxy]acetophenone (4-THA), a tetrazole-substituted acetophenone which induces peroxisomal beta-oxidation in rodent liver, on fatty acid oxidation in vitro. In isolated hepatocytes, 4-THA inhibited the oxidation of oleate (C18:1) and decreased the mitochondrial redox state. The inhibition was more pronounced in the presence of 0.2 mM-oleate than with 0.5 mM, indicating the inhibition may be competitive. 4-THA had no effect on the oxidation of octanoate (C8:0), suggesting that the site of inhibition of oleate oxidation was the carnitine-dependent transport across the mitochondrial inner membrane. In rat liver mitochondria, 4-THA inhibited carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT-I) competitively with respect to the substrate palmitoyl-CoA, increasing the apparent Km from 19 microM to 86 microM. The inhibition of CPT-I by 4-THA was independent of the concentration of the co-substrate carnitine. Whereas fasting attenuated the inhibition of CPT-I by malonyl-CoA, it did not diminish the inhibition by 4-THA. Inhibition of transferase activity by 4-THA and malonyl-CoA was attenuated in mitochondria which had been solubilized with octyl glucoside to expose the latent form of carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT-II), suggesting that the inhibition was specific for CPT-I. The specificity was further demonstrated in studies of mitochondrial beta-oxidation in which 4-THA inhibited the oxidation of palmitoyl-CoA but not palmitoylcarnitine. The results demonstrate that 4-THA inhibits fatty acid oxidation in rat liver in vitro at the site of transport across the mitochondrial inner membrane, CPT-I. Whether this disruption in mitochondrial oxidation is causally related to the induction of peroxisomal beta-oxidation is yet to be determined.