Effects of leptin, troglitazone, and dietary fat on stearoyl CoA desaturase

Leptin, troglitazone, and high fat feeding profoundly influence the lipid content of various tissues. To determine if they affect the expression of stearoyl CoA desaturase (SCD)-1 and -2, their mRNA was measured in livers of normal, hyperleptinemic, troglitazone-treated, and fat-fed rats. Hyperleptinemia, which reduces tissue TG by downregulating lipogenic enzymes and upregulating fatty acid oxidation, lowered SCD-1 96% below controls and reduced SCD-2 slightly. By contrast, hepatic SCD-1 mRNA of leptin-resistant fa/fa rats was five times wild-type controls, but SCD-2 mRNA was 66% lower. High fat feeding lowered SCD-1 by 80%, possibly by inducing hyperleptinemia. Troglitazone treatment, which reduces nonadipose tissue TG of fa/fa rats without downregulating lipogenic enzymes, raised SCD-2 13-fold but lowered SCD-1 by 25%. The findings suggest that leptin controls SCD-1 expression and that troglitazone's antilipotoxic action may involve SCD-2 upregulation.