Metabolic effects of nicotine on human adipose tissue in organ culture.
Fragments of human adipose tissue were maintained in culture for 1 week in a medium containing 1 mU/ml insulin and 100 ng/ml dexamethasone. Under these conditions lipoprotein lipase activity was present in human adipose tissue fragments which converted [14C]glucose to 14CO2 and [14C]triglyceride. Both metabolic parameters studied were affected by human tumor necrosis factor and brefeldin A. When fragments of human adipose tissue after 1 week in culture were incubated with nicotine tartrate for 20 h, a slight but significant increase in lipoprotein lipase activity was observed, and an increased conversion of [14C]glucose to 14CO2 and [14C]triglyceride occurred. Nicotine was taken up by human adipose tissue, but no conversion to cotinine was observed. Our data demonstrate a direct effect of nicotine on human adipose tissue metabolism. Furthermore, it is suggested that weight loss in smokers is a multifactorial phenomenon, and one of the important factors to be considered is the direct effect of nicotine within the tissue.
Chajek-Shaul
T
T
Department of Medicine, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem.
Scherer
G
G
Barash
V
V
Shiloni
E
E
Caine
Y
Y
Stein
O
O
Stein
Y
Y
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism; D006801:Humans; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques
D009538:Nicotine