Brown adipose tissue metabolism in cold-acclimated weanling rats with hypothalamic obesity.

Certain aspects of intermediary metabolism of white (epididymal) and brown (interscapular) adipose tissue (BAT) were studied in cold-acclimated weanling rats with hypothalamic obesity. Groups of rats with ventromedial hypothalamic lesions (VMNL rats) and controls were maintained for four weeks at 6 degrees C and 22 degrees C, respectively. Sham-operated rats served as controls. Cold-acclimated VMNL rats showed greater percent BAT but normal percent epididymal fat pad weight, hypophagia, reduced body weight and body weight gains, hyperdipsia, hyperinsulinemia, normoglycemia and normal circulating fatty acid levels, higher carcass lipid and lower carcass protein. They also exhibited a higher rate of epididymal fat pad lipolysis than the controls, but the increment during cold adaptation was less in the VMNL rats compared with the 22 degrees C-maintained VMNL animals. In-vitro metabolism was determined in both the basal and the epinephrine-stimulated state. Basal-state 14C-palmitate oxidation, BAT fatty acid and lipid contents were increased in VMNL rats but protein content, incorporation into phospholipid and triglycerides, BAT lipolysis and glycolysis were normal in cold-acclimated VMNL rats. Epinephrine-stimulated BAT showed similar fatty acid content and palmitate oxidation and incorporation into triglycerides in VMNL and control rats. Epinephrine-stimulated BAT showed similar fatty acid content and palmitate oxidation and incorporation into triglycerides in VMNL and control rats, but the epinephrine-stimulated increase in lipolysis only in the cold-acclimated VMNL rats. Whereas at 22 degrees C BAT of VMNL rats showed decreased palmitate oxidation and no change of incorporation into phospholipid and triglyceride, during cold acclimation VMNL rats showed normal BAT metabolism and normal response to epinephrine, except for an increase in lipolysis. The data are in agreement with the observation that hypothalamic-obese mature rats have normal cold survival potential and allow us to extend this fact to the normophagic-obese-weanling rat.