Effects of norepinephrine and thyroxine on the turnover rate of plasma free fatty acids.

Effects of norepinephrine infusion on rectal temperature, plasma free fatty acids (FFA) concentration and its turnover rate were studied in rats treated chronically with norepinephrine, thyroxine, or both. Chronic treatments with these hormones resulted in greater increases in rectal temperature and FFA turnover rate in response to norepinephrine as compared with the alterations in controls. Norepinephrine-induced elevation of FFA concentration was smaller in norepinephrine-treated and norepinephrine plus thyroxine-treated rats than in controls, and in thyroxine-treated rats the elevation was similar to that of controls. The regression coefficient of FFA concentration of its turnover rate was greater in all the treated groups than in controls although positive correlations were observed among both variables in the former and the latter. From the results it was inferred that the greater increase in removal of plasma FFA was produced by norepinephrine in parallel with the greater increase in rectal temperature by norepinephrine in rats treated with norepinephrine or thyroxine than in the controls. The effects of norepinephrine infusion were also studied in surgically thryoidectomized rats. In thyroidectomized rats adapted to warm or cold, the smaller increases in rectal temperature and ithe turnover rate of plasma FFA were induced by norepinephrine as compared with the changes in intact rats. The alterations in FFA concentration produced by norepinephrine were less in warm-adapted thyroidectomized rats and greater in cold-acclimated thyroidectomized rats than in respective controls.