HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Tchernof, A. Articles by Dupont, P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Tchernof, A. Articles by Dupont, P. Social Bookmarking                What's this?

Regional Differences in Adipose Tissue Metabolism in Women

Minor Effect of Obesity and Body Fat Distribution

¹ Molecular Endocrinology and Oncology Research Center, Laval University Medical Research Center, Laval University, Québec, Canada
² Department of Nutrition, Laval University Medical Research Center, Laval University, Québec, Canada
³ Gynecology Unit, Laval University Medical Research Center, Laval University, Québec, Canada

Address correspondence and reprint requests to André Tchernof, PhD, Molecular EndocrinologyOncology Research Center, Department of Nutrition, Laval University Medical Research Center, 2705 Laurier Blvd. (T3–67), Québec, (Québec), Canada G1V 4G2. E-mail: andre.tchernof{at}crchul.ulaval.ca

Abbreviations: FSH, follicle-stimulating hormone; LPL, lipoprotein lipase

Studies comparing adipose tissue metabolism in central versus peripheral fat depots have generated equivocal data. We examined whether regional differences in abdominal subcutaneous and omental adipose tissue metabolism in women exist and whether they persist across the spectrum of body fatness and abdominal adiposity values. We measured adipocyte size; lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity; and basal, isoproterenol-, forskolin-, and dibutyryl cAMP–stimulated lipolysis in adipose tissue or mature adipocytes isolated from the omental and subcutaneous fat depots in a sample of 55 healthy women undergoing elective gynecological surgery. Measures of body fat mass and body fat distribution were also obtained by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and computed tomography. Subcutaneous adipocytes were significantly larger than omental adipocytes (P < 0.0001). LPL activity expressed as a function of cell number was significantly higher in subcutaneous versus omental adipose tissue (P < 0.0001). Basal, isoproterenol-stimulated, dibutyryl cAMP–stimulated (10^–3 mol/l) and forskolin-stimulated (10^–5 mol/l) lipolysis (expressed as a function of cell number) were all significantly higher in subcutaneous versus omental adipocytes (P < 0.05 to P < 0.0001). However, the response of omental adipocytes to lipolytic stimuli tested (fold increase over basal level) was significantly greater in magnitude compared with subcutaneous adipocytes (P < 0.01). These differences were relatively constant across total body fat mass and visceral adipose tissue area tertiles. In conclusion, compared with adipocytes from the omental fat compartment, subcutaneous adipocytes are larger, have higher LPL activity, and are more lipolytic on an absolute basis, which may reflect a higher fat storage capacity in this depot in women. In contrast, omental adipocytes display greater relative responsiveness to both adrenergic receptor–and postreceptor-acting agents compared with subcutaneous adipocytes. Overall and visceral obesity have only minor effects on regional differences in adipose tissue metabolism.

CiteULike    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. B. Votruba, R. S. Mattison, D. A. Dumesic, C. Koutsari, and M. D. Jensen Meal Fatty Acid Uptake in Visceral Fat in Women Diabetes, October 1, 2007; 56(10): 2589 - 2597. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J.A. Paniagua, A. G. de la Sacristana, I. Romero, A. Vidal-Puig, J.M. Latre, E. Sanchez, P. Perez-Martinez, J. Lopez-Miranda, and F. Perez-Jimenez Monounsaturated Fat-Rich Diet Prevents Central Body Fat Distribution and Decreases Postprandial Adiponectin Expression Induced by a Carbohydrate-Rich Diet in Insulin-Resistant Subjects Diabetes Care, July 1, 2007; 30(7): 1717 - 1723. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. N. Bergman Orchestration of Glucose Homeostasis: From a Small Acorn to the California Oak Diabetes, June 1, 2007; 56(6): 1489 - 1501. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. D Sniderman, R. Bhopal, D. Prabhakaran, N. Sarrafzadegan, and A. Tchernof Why might South Asians be so susceptible to central obesity and its atherogenic consequences? The adipose tissue overflow hypothesis Int. J. Epidemiol., February 1, 2007; 36(1): 220 - 225. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]