Short-term regulation of hepatic triacylglycerol metabolism by insulin and glucagon.

This paper presents a review of our current knowledge of short-term regulation of triacylglycerol metabolism by insulin and glucagon in isolated rat hepatocytes. Insulin is devoted to rapidly improve the lipogenic climate of the hepatocyte. The hormone stimulates glycolysis, the conversion of pyruvate into acetyl-CoA, the synthesis of fatty acids and their esterification. The opposite pathways, hydrolysis of triacylglycerols and fatty acid oxidation, are depressed by insulin. Glucagon does all but deteriorate the lipogenic climate within the liver cell as the hormone inhibits triacylglycerol synthesis and stimulates the breakdown of triacylglycerols.