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Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Measuring the Rate of Lipolysis in Ex Vivo Murine Adipose Tissue and Primary Preadipocytes Differentiated In Vitro
Published on: March 17, 2023
Shrinking and development of lipid droplets in adipocytes during catecholamine-induced lipolysis
Masafumi Nagayama1, Kyoko Shimizu, Toshio Taira
1Division of Applied Physics, Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan. macci@eng.hokudai.ac.jp
Abstract:
Time-lapse observation of adipocytes during catecholamine-induced lipolysis clearly shows that shrinking of existing lipid droplets (LDs) occurs in some adipocytes and that small LDs are newly developed in almost all cells. Immunofluorescence imaging reveals that activation and localization of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) on the surface of LDs, which are required for conferring maximal lipolysis, are necessary for the shrinking of the LDs. However, not all adipocytes in which phosphorylated HSL is localized on LDs exhibit shrinking of LDs. The simultaneous shrinking and development of LDs yield apparent fragmentation and dispersion of LDs in adipocytes stimulated with catecholamine.
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