Oxidation of intramyocellular lipids is dependent on mitochondrial function and the availability of extracellular fatty acids

Corpeleijn E, Hessvik NP, Bakke SS, Levin K, Blaak EE, Thoresen GH, Gaster M, Rustan AC. Oxidation of intramyocellular lipids is dependent on mitochondrial function and the availability of extracellular fatty acids. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 299: E14-E22, 2010. First published May 4, 2010; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00187.2010.-Obesity and insulin resistance are related to both enlarged intramyocellular triacylglycerol stores and accumulation of lipid intermediates. We investigated how lipid overflow can change the oxidation of intramyocellular lipids (ICLOX) and intramyocellular lipid storage (ICL). These experiments were extended by comparing these processes in primary cultured myotubes established from healthy lean and obese type 2 diabetic (T2D) individuals, two extremes in a range of metabolic phenotypes. ICLs were prelabeled for 2 days with 100 mu M [C-14] oleic acid (OA). ICLOX was studied using a (CO2)-C-14 trapping system and measured under various conditions of extracellular OA (5 or 100 mu M) and glucose (0.1 or 5.0 mM) and the absence or presence of mitochondrial uncoupling [carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone (FCCP)]. First, increased extracellular OA availability (5 vs. 100 mu M) reduced ICLOX by 37%. No differences in total lipolysis were observed between low and high OA availability. Uncoupling with FCCP restored ICLOX to basal levels during high OA availability. Mitochondrial mass was positively related to ICLOX, but only in myotubes from lean individuals. In all, a lower mitochondrial mass and lower ICLOX were related to a higher cell-associated OA accumulation. Second, myotubes established from obese T2D individuals showed reduced ICLOX. ICLOX remained lower during uncoupling (P <0.001), even with comparable mitochondrial mass, suggesting decreased mitochondrial function. Furthermore, the variation in ICLOX in vitro was significantly related to the in vivo fasting respiratory quotient of all subjects (P <0.02). In conclusion, the rate of ICLOX is dependent on the availability of extracellular fatty acids and mitochondrial function rather than mitochondrial mass

Liver X receptor beta is the dominant LXR subtype in skeletal muscle

Liver X receptors (LXRs) are important regulators of cholesterol, lipid and glucose metabolism and have been extensively studied in liver, macrophages and adipose tissue. However, their role in skeletal muscle is not yet fully elucidated and the functional role of each of the LXRα and LXRβ subtypes in skeletal muscle is at present unknown. To study the importance of each of the receptor subtypes, myotube cultures derived from wild type (WT), LXRα and LXRβ knockout (KO) mice were established. The present study shows that treatment with the unselective LXR agonist T0901317 increased mRNA levels of LXR target genes such as sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor 1 (SREBF1), fatty acid synthase (FASN), stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) and ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) in myotubes established from WT and LXRα KO mice. However, only minor changes in expression level were observed for these genes after treatment with T0901317 in myotubes from LXRβ KO mice. Gene expression analysis using Affymetrix NuGO Genechip arrays showed that few other genes than the classical, well known LXR target genes were regulated by LXR in skeletal muscle. Furthermore, functional studies using radiolabeled substrates showed that treatment with T0901317 increased lipogenesis and apoA1 dependent cholesterol efflux, in myotubes from WT and LXRα KO mice, but not LXRβ KO mice. The data suggest that the lipogenic effects of LXRs, as well as the LXR-stimulated cholesterol efflux, are mainly mediated by LXRβ in skeletal muscle

Eicosapentaenoic acid improves metabolic switching in human myotubes

Metabolically healthy skeletal muscle is characterized by the ability to switch easily between glucose and fat oxidation, whereas loss of this ability seems to be related to insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to investigate whether different fatty acids (FAs) and the LXR ligand T0901317 affected metabolic switching in human skeletal muscle cells (myotubes). Pretreatment of myotubes with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) increased suppressibility, the ability of glucose to suppress FA oxidation, and metabolic flexibility, the ability to increase FA oxidation when changing from “fed” to “fasted” state. Adaptability, the capacity to increase FA oxidation with increasing FA availability, was increased after pretreatment with EPA, linoleic acid (LA) and palmitic acid (PA). T0901317 counteracted the effect of EPA on suppressibility and adaptability, but did not affect these parameters alone. EPA itself accumulated less, however, EPA, LA, OA and T0901317 increased the number of lipid droplets (LDs) in myotubes, whereas LD size and mitochondria amount were independent of pretreatment. Microarray analysis showed that EPA regulated more genes than the other FAs. Some pathways involved in carbohydrate metabolism were induced only by EPA. The present study suggests a possible favorable effect of EPA on skeletal muscle metabolic switching and glucose utilization

Eicosapentaenoic acid improves metabolic switching in human myotubes

Metabolically healthy skeletal muscle is characterized by the ability to switch easily between glucose and fat oxidation, whereas loss of this ability seems to be related to insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to investigate whether different fatty acids (FAs) and the LXR ligand T0901317 affected metabolic switching in human skeletal muscle cells (myotubes). Pretreatment of myotubes with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) increased suppressibility, the ability of glucose to suppress FA oxidation, and metabolic flexibility, the ability to increase FA oxidation when changing from “fed” to “fasted” state. Adaptability, the capacity to increase FA oxidation with increasing FA availability, was increased after pretreatment with EPA, linoleic acid (LA) and palmitic acid (PA). T0901317 counteracted the effect of EPA on suppressibility and adaptability, but did not affect these parameters alone. EPA itself accumulated less, however, EPA, LA, OA and T0901317 increased the number of lipid droplets (LDs) in myotubes, whereas LD size and mitochondria amount were independent of pretreatment. Microarray analysis showed that EPA regulated more genes than the other FAs. Some pathways involved in carbohydrate metabolism were induced only by EPA. The present study suggests a possible favorable effect of EPA on skeletal muscle metabolic switching and glucose utilization