Insulin fatty acid metabolism regulation

S.E. Meek, et al.. Insulin regulation of regional free fatty acid metabolism. Diabetes, 1999, 48, 10-14. 

Although the effects of insulin on postprandial metabolism are profound, other factors (e.g., substrate supply and allosteric effectors) also affect the rate and degree to which these processes occur. For example, elevated levels of fatty acids in blood promote lipogenesis in adipose tissue. Regulation by several allosteric effectors further ensures that competing pathways do not occur simultaneously for example, in many cell types fatty acid synthesis is promoted by citrate (an activator of acetyl-CoA carboxylase), whereas fatty acid oxidation is depressed by malonyl-CoA (an inhibitor of carnitine acyltransferase I activity). The control of fatty acid metabolism is described in Section 12.1. 

Recent studies strongly suggest a role of PKB in governing some aspects of hepatic fatty acid metabolism in response to insulin. The detailed mechanisms by which these regulations occur are not fully understood but increasing evidence suggests a cross-talk with both SREBP-lc and PPARa. 

As complex as the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism is, it is far from the whole story of fuel metabolism. The metabolism of fats and fatty acids is very closely tied to that of carbohydrates. Hormonal signals such as insulin and changes in diet or exercise are equally important in regulating fat metabolism and integrating it with that of carbohydrates. We shall return to this overall metabolic integration in mammals in Chapter 23,... 

T Biosynthesis and degradation of triacylglycerols are regulated such that the favored path depends on the metabolic resources and requirements of the moment. The rate of triacylglycerol biosynthesis is profoundly altered by the action of several hormones. Insulin, for example, promotes the conversion of carbohydrate to triacylglycerols (Fig. 21-19). People with severe diabetes mellitus, due to failure of insulin secretion or action, not only are unable to use glucose properly but also fail to synthesize fatty acids from... 

CM and VLDL secreted by intestinal cells and VLDL synthesized and secreted in the liver have similar metabolic fates. After secretion into the blood, newly formed CM and VLDL take up apoprotein (apo-C) from HDL and are subsequently removed from the blood (plasma half-life of less than 1 h in humans [137]) primarily by the action of lipoprotein lipase (LPL). Lipoprotein lipase is situated mainly in the vascular bed of the heart, skeletal muscle, and adipose tissue and catalyzes the breakdown of core TG to monoglycerides and free fatty acids, which are taken up into adjacent cells or recirculated in blood bound to albumin. The activity of LPL in the heart and skeletal muscle is inversely correlated with its activity in adipose tissue and is regulated by various hormones. Thus, in the fasted state, TG in CM and VLDL is preferentially delivered to the heart and skeletal muscle under the influence of adrenaline and glucagon, whereas in the fed state, insulin enhances LPL activity in adipose tissue, resulting in preferential uptake of TG into adipose tissue for storage as fat. 

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