Effect of substrate interactions on in vitro fatty acid synthesis in adipose tissue of normal and genetically obese mice

Summary Fatty acid synthesis was measured in vitro in pieces of adipose tissue from lean and obese-hyperglycaemic (ob/ob) mice, using ¹⁴C-glucose or ¹⁴C-lactate and ³H₂O to obtain absolute rates of total fatty acid synthesis. In the presence of lipoproteintriglyceride (2.5 mol/l) metabolic interaction occurred which decreased glucose incorporation into fatty acids by 30% in lean mouse tissue, but not in obese mouse tissue. In the absence of added insulin, the contribution of glucose to total fatty acid synthesis was 69% in obese mouse tissue, significantly lower than the value of 87% obtained in lean mouse tissue. Insulin increased the contribution of glucose to total synthesis in both lean and obese mouse tissues, although the value in obese mouse tissue (83%) remained lower than the value in lean mouse tissue (100%). Lactate was not a major precursor for fatty acid synthesis. When both lactate (2 mmol/l) and glucose (15 mmol/l) were present, the contribution of lactate to total fatty acid synthesis was not increased in obese mouse tissue, suggesting that even in the presence of insulin, about 30% of the carbon was provided by intracellular precursors.