Lipogenesis from U14C lactate in obese Zucker rat hepatocytes. Effect of albumin-bound oleate.

Lipogenesis from U(14C) lactate was studied in hepatocytes isolated from obese Zucker rats (fa/fa) their lean littermates (Fa/?) and Sprague Dawley rats. The distribution of radioactive carbon between the glycerol and the fatty acid moieties of the acylglycerols were studied. Radioactive lactate was better utilized for glycerol formation than it was for fatty acid formation in the obese rats. However, when oleate was added to the hepatocytic incubation medium, radioactive lactate was preferentially incorporated into the fatty acid moiety of the acylglycerols. Zucker obesity classified as a "metabolic obesity" by Meyer (1) depends upon abnormalities in carbohydrate metabolism associated with increased lipogenesis. This might be explained by biochemical shifts in the utilization of nutrients (2). Among the nutrients, lactate seems to be a better source of carbon than glucose for lipid synthesis (3). It has been shown that there is an increased hepatic portal blood concentration of lactate several hours after eating: about 4 mM in Wistar rats (4) and 10-15 mM in obese Zucker rats (3). We are interested in determinating the incorporation of carbon from lactate either into glycerol or into fatty acyl moieties of hepatic acylglycerols, and in determining the influence of exogenous fatty acids on acylglycerol synthesis, since a high level of circulating fatty acids in Zucker obese rats has been reported (5). Our purpose was to determine the incorporation of lactate into glycerol and fatty acyl moieties of acylglycerols, under the influence of oleate. Hepatocytes were isolated from ad libitum fed obese Zucker rats (fa/fa), their lean littermates (Fa/?) and Sprague-Dawley rats (SD). Incorporation of lactate was studied for three hours, in order to exclude short-term regulation effects and to allow oleate to be distributed into all cellular compartments.