Mobilization of fatty acids in genetically obese rats

The mobilization of fatty acids has been studied in genetically obese rats of the Zucker strain and in control obese animals with bilateral destructive lesions in the hypothalamus. The body weight and size of adipose cells did not differ significantly between the genetically obese rats and the obese controls. Weight loss in control and genetically obese rats was identical during a 1 month fast. The release of glycerol and the rise in free fatty acids in adipose tissue incubated in vitro were similar in tissue from genetic and hypothalamic obese rats. Epinephrine, theophylline, and dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate all augmented lipolysis, and the effects were usually greater in the tissues from genetically obese rats.