Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 2, 2026

Measurement of Fatty Acid β-Oxidation in a Suspension of Freshly Isolated Mouse Hepatocytes
Published on: September 9, 2021
Sex-Specific Differences in Hepatic Fat Oxidation and Synthesis May Explain the Higher Propensity for NAFLD in Men
Camilla Pramfalk1, Michael Pavlides1, Rajarshi Banerjee1
1Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism (C.P., C.A.M., F.K., L.H.), Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research (M.P., R.B., S.N.), University of Oxford, Churchill Hospital, Oxford OX3 7LE, United Kingdom; and Translational Gastroenterology Unit (M.P.), John Radcliffe Hospital and National Institute for Health Research Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (F.K.), Oxford University Hospital Trusts, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom.
Context And Objective:
In most populations a greater proportion of men have hepatic steatosis than women. Sex-specific differences in hepatic dietary fatty acid (FA) metabolism have not been well characterized. We compared fasting and postprandial hepatic FA synthesis (de novo lipogenesis [DNL]) and oxidation in men and women.
Participants And Methods:
Fasting and postprandial hepatic FA metabolism was studied in 22 healthy men (n = 11) and women with similar age, body mass index, and liver fat content using metabolic substrates labeled with stable-isotope tracers ((2)H2O and [U(13)C]palmitate). Dietary FA oxidation was assessed by appearance of (13)C into plasma 3-hydroxybutyrate and breath CO2 as markers of liver and whole-body FA oxidation, respectively.
Results:
Despite similar liver fat content, fasting and postprandial plasma triacylglycerol (TG) concentrations were significantly (P < .05) higher in men compared with women. The appearance of (13)C from dietary FA into plasma 3-hydroxybutyrate and breath CO2 was greater (P < .05) in women compared with men. Although the contribution of DNL into very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)-TG was similar (∼ 10%) in the fasting state, there was a divergence in pattern over the course of the study, with men maintaining a higher contribution of DNL to VLDL-TG than women (P = .006 time x sex interaction).
Conclusions:
The combination of lower dietary FA oxidation and a prolonged increase in DNL observed in men may represent partitioning of FA into esterification and storage pathways within the liver, leading to greater VLDL-TG production, and predispose to the sex difference in hepatic steatosis.
Related Concept Videos
Overview of Lipid Metabolism
Lipolysis: The Breakdown of Lipids:
Lipolysis is the process of breaking down lipids, particularly triglycerides, into glycerol and fatty acids. This process typically occurs in the adipose tissue and is triggered by various hormones, including glucagon and...
Overview of Fatty Acid Metabolism
Fatty acids are catabolized in a process called beta-oxidation, which takes place in the matrix of the mitochondria and converts their fatty acid chains into two-carbon units of acetyl groups. The acetyl...
Cholesterol: Significance and Regulation
Considering cholesterol and...
Cell Specific Gene Expression
Pharmacokinetics in Obese Patients: Drug Metabolism and Excretion
Lipid Catabolism

