Dependence of rates of lipolysis, esterification, and free fatty acid release in isolated fat cells on age, cell size, and nutritional state.

Rates of lipolysis, esterification, and free fatty acid release were estimated in isolated epididymal fat cells prepared from rats fed either ad lib. or with a restricted caloric intake. Basal and epinephrine- or theophylline-stimulated rates of lipolysis correlated positively with cell size in the ad lib.-fed group only. Rates of esterification, both basal and epinephrine-stimulated, correlated positively with cell size in the ad lib.-fed group but negatively in the caloric-restricted group. These findings indicate that nutritional factors can modify any possible influence of adipose cell size on lipolysis and esterification. On the other hand, in both groups of rats, epinephrine- and theophylline-stimulated rates of lipolysis correlated positively with the basal rates of lipolysis. Also, rates of esterification in the presence of epinephrine correlated positively with the basal rates of esterification, suggesting that stimulated rates of lipolysis and esterification are at least partly determined by the basal rates regardless of nutritional status. The activity of glycerokinase measured in homogenates of isolated fat cells, if applicable to intact fat cells, was sufficient to cause considerable underestimations of the basal rates of lipolysis (using glycerol production as an index). When lipolysis was stimulated, the potential errors of estimating lipolysis by glycerol production alone were negligible.