Effect of oral oleoyl-estrone treatment on plasma lipoproteins and tissue lipase activities of Zucker lean and obese female rats

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of oral oleoyl-estrone on the plasma lipoprotein profile and tissue lipase activities in order to determine the handling of circulating lipids by adipose tissue, liver and muscle of obese female rats. DESIGN: Lean (Fa/?) and obese (fa/fa) female Zucker rats treated for 10 days with a daily gavage of 0.2 ml sunflower oil containing 0 (controls) or 10 mumol/kg of oleoyl-estrone. After sacrifice, samples of tissues and plasma were taken. MEASUREMENTS: Plasma lipoprotein classes and composition; lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase activities in plasma, liver, skeletal muscle and periovaric and mesenteric white adipose tissue (WAT). RESULTS: Oleoyl-estrone decreased plasma cholesterol (mainly in HDLs: 76%) of lean rats, but dramatically decreased all lipid classes in obese rats, in which chylomicra and VLDL lost most of their triacylglycerols (95 and 81%, respectively). Hepatic lipase activity decreased markedly with oleoyl-estrone in all groups, both in plasma (79% lean, 100% obese) and liver (62% in both groups). Lipoprotein lipase activity was largely unchanged by oleoyl-estrone in lean rats, but in the obese it decreased in WAT (82% in periovaric, and 49% in mesenteric), and increased in plasma (x 4) and in skeletal muscle (x ); liver levels showed no change. CONCLUSIONS: The shift observed in obese rats from a decrease in liver and WAT lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase activities to an increase in muscle lipoprotein lipase is coincident with the hypolipemic effect of oleoyl-estrone, especially in obese rats, and indicates that muscle is a key site for the disposal of endogenous fat mobilized due to oleoyl-estrone treatment.