Morphological and compositional changes of rat plasma triglyceride-rich lipoproteins incubated with adipose tissue

Triglyceride-rich rat lipoproteins (mainly VLDL), purified by ultracentrifugation and dialysis, were incubated for 120 min in the presence of epididymal fat-pad pieces from fed rats in media containing heparin. During this process, the lipoproteins were depleted of triglycerides and proportionally enriched with proteins, causing their increased density. After incubation, electron microscopic study of the triglyceride-rich lipoproteins revealed partially degraded structures, and some particles had atypical discoid flattened form and marked lamellar structure. These findings are in agreement with those of Blanchette-Mackie & Scow (1976) in triglyceride hydrolysed chylomicrons and confirm their observation of monolayers formed by accumulated lipolytic products that move by lateral diffusion, giving rise to a spiral fold between the core triglycerides and the aqueous space.