Surgical reduction of adipose tissue in the male Sprague-Dawley rat.

The lipostatic theory of regulation of adipose tissue mass was tested by a method for surgical reduction (adipectomy) of 24% of the total body fat of nonobese adult Sprague-Dawley rats, as judged from carcass analyses. The reduction persisted during an observation period of 12 wk without any evidence of altered food intake, weight gain, or compensatory hypertrophy or hyperplasia of adipose tissue compared with sham-operated controls. No changes were found in serum free fatty acids, glycerol, triglycerides, cholesterol, or insulin between adipectomized and control animals, implying an intact quantitative function of the remaining adipose tissue. It is concluded that the size of the adipocytes rather than the number is important for a presumed lipostatic regulation of adipose tissue mass in the adult male Sprague-Dawley rat.