Effect of exercise on hormone-sensitive lipase activity in rat adipocytes

Hormone-sensitive lipase activity was measured in adipocytes of rats subjected to a 12-wk program of treadmill running. Enzyme activity in the runners sacrificed immediately after exercise increased 2.5-fold (P less than 0.001) in tissue exposed to epinephrine and threefold (P less than 0.001) in tissue not exposed to epinephrine, when the results were expressed per gram of adipose tissue. Increases of almost the same magnitude were observed in runners sacrificed 24 h after their last bout of work. These significant increases in enzyme activity, however, were the result of a significant reduction in the size of cells in the epididymal fat pads of the exercisers compared with those of the freely eating sedentary animals (68.7 +/- 2.7 mum vs. 82.0 +/- 2.7 mum; P less than 0.01). When the results were expressed on a per-cell basis, therefore, hormone-sensitive lipase activity, assayed in the presence or absence of epinephrine, was unaffected by the exercise program. These results provide evidence that the lipolytic capacity of adipocytes of normal, untrained rats is sufficiently large to meet the increased demand for free fatty acids imposed by the exercise program without the need for an adaptive increase in enzyme activity.