Effects of catecholamines on the lipolysis of two kinds of fat cells from adult rabbit.

The administration of various catecholamines and adrenocorticotropic hormone to adult rabbit elevated plasma glycerol concentration. These catecholamines also induced the in vitro lipolysis of isolated interscapular fat cells but could not bring about the lipolysis of epididymal ones, while adrenocorticotropic hormone induced the lipolyses of both kinds of fat cells. It may be speculated from these results that catecholamines liberated endogenously in adult rabbit cannot act on all systemic adipose tissues but have lipolytic effects on a part of them.