Effects of dietary essential fatty acids on active thermogenin content in rat brown adipose tissue.

Abstract

Rats were fed diets providing either 0.3% (low EFA), 3% (control) or 10% (high EFA) of the energy as essential fatty acids. (All diets provided 20 energy percent of fat.) Both the experimental groups had a lower body weight than the controls. Small differences were found between the groups in many traditional parameters of brown adipose tissue activity (wet weight, protein content, mitochondrial content, cytochrome c oxidase activity). A specific increase in the mitochondrial concentration of the 32,000-dalton GDP-binding protein thermogenin was observed in the high EFA group (from 0.30 to 0.45 nmol/mg). When the thermogenin content of the animal was expressed per gram body weight, the content was more than doubled (from 22 to 47 pmol/g body weight) in the high EFA group, but was unaltered in the low EFA group. It is concluded that the effect of low EFA is nonspecific and due to a general decrease in health status. The effects of high EFA are, however, specific and resemble the changes observed in animals exhibiting diet-induced thermogenesis. It is suggested that the animals fed high amounts of essential fatty acids are in a state of decreased metabolic efficiency and this may be at least in part an explanation for their low body weight.

• Authors: J Nedergaard, W Becker, B Cannon
• Journal: The Journal of nutrition (J Nutr) Vol. 113 Issue 9 Pg. 1717-24 (Sep 1983) ISSN: 0022-3166 [Print] United States
• PMID: 6310071 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Carrier Proteins
• Dietary Fats
• Fatty Acids, Essential
• Ion Channels
• Membrane Proteins
• Mitochondrial Proteins
• Peptides
• Receptors, Cell Surface
• Uncoupling Protein 1
• Electron Transport Complex IV
• GTP-Binding Proteins

Topics

• Adipose Tissue, Brown (drug effects, metabolism)
• Animals
• Carrier Proteins (metabolism)
• Dietary Fats (administration & dosage)
• Electron Transport Complex IV (metabolism)
• Energy Metabolism (drug effects)
• Fatty Acids, Essential (administration & dosage)
• GTP-Binding Proteins
• Ion Channels
• Membrane Proteins
• Mitochondria (metabolism)
• Mitochondrial Proteins
• Molecular Weight
• Peptides (metabolism)
• Rats
• Rats, Inbred Strains
• Receptors, Cell Surface (metabolism)
• Uncoupling Protein 1