Bio-inorganic regulation of pathways of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. 1. Effect of iron and manganese on the enzyme profile of pathways of carbohydrate metabolism in adipose tissue during development.

The effect of Fe2+ and Mn2+ on the pattern of emergence of enzymes in adipose tissue was studied in weaned rats given a high-fat diet; comparison was made with groups given a high-carbohydrate diet for 3 weeks. The addition of Fe2+ resulted in increased activity of key enzymes of glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway and lipogenesis, while further supplementation with Mn2+ enhanced these changes. The Mn2+ treatment thus appeared partially to overcome the regulatory feedback mechanisms of the high-fat diet and to provide a signal for the increase in enzymes involved in glucose oxidation and lipogenesis.