Effects of dichloroacetate on fatty acid synthesis in interscapular brown adipose tissue of the rat in vivo and in vitro.

The effects of dichloroacetate (DCA) on fatty acid synthesis in interscapular brown adipose tissue of the rat were investigated. Administration of DCA to rats inhibited fatty acid synthesis in brown adipose tissue, measured in vivo using 3H2O, regardless of the nutritional state of the animals. Glucose administration increased lipogenesis in brown adipose tissue of fed and starved rats and DCA did not suppress this stimulation. DCA (1 mM or 10 mM) inhibited [1-14C]glucose incorporation into fatty acid by brown adipose tissue slices in vitro but was without effect on 14CO2 production from [1-14C]glucose. This demonstrates that DCA inhibits fatty acid synthesis directly, and the effects of DCA in vivo need not be attributed to decreased supply or utilization of lipogenic precursors.