Fuel partitioning and food intake: role for mitochondrial fatty acid transport

Administration of methyl palmoxirate (MP; 10 mg/kg po), an inhibitor of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT I), increased the food intake of rats maintained on a diet high in triglycerides comprised of long-chain fatty acids, which require CPT I for mitochondrial uptake and oxidation. MP did not affect food intake in rats fed a comparable diet high in medium-chain fatty acids, which do not require CPT I for mitochondrial uptake and oxidation. The feeding response to MP was reduced more effectively by an intragastric preload of medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil than a preload of a long-chain triglyceride (LCT) oil. Food intake of MCT- and LCT-fed rats differed under control conditions (no MP), and this appeared to reflect differences in the diurnal distribution of feeding. Measurement of plasma ketone body concentrations indicated that the dietary manipulations and MP had their intended metabolic effects. The results strongly suggest that mitochondrial transport of fatty acids plays a role in the control of food intake. CPT I participates in that control by regulating the partitioning of long-chain fatty acids between pathways of storage and intramitochondrial oxidation.