Lipolytic activity in adipose tissue of mice bearing Ehrlich ascites carcinoma.

The hormonal background of lipid mobilization in mice bearing Ehrlich ascites tumor (EAT) was investigated. Glycerol production rates were measured in adipose tissues from healthy and tumor-bearing (TB) animals being in early and late stages of tumor growth. The basal rate of lipolysis was enhanced significantly in the epididymal fat pads from mice with EAT. The catecholamine- and theophylline-stimulated activity was also higher in the tumorous animals, and the hormone-stimulated lipolysis was more effectively repressed by insulin and propranolol in adipose tissue from TB mice, compared to healthy ones. Susceptibility of adipose tissues to hormonal manipulations suggested that an imbalance in the concentration of lipolytic and antilipolytic hormones in the blood might promote the lipid depletion in the TB host organism. The low glucose and insulin concentrations and high catecholamine levels found in the sera of the tumorous animals seem to support this conception.