Effects of acetate, acetaldehyde, and ethanol on lipolysis in isolated rat adipocytes

The effects of different concentrations of acetate, acetaldehyde, and ethanol, alone or in combination, on the lipolysis rate, measured as glycerol release, were studied in isolated adipocytes from fed or fasted rats, in the basal state and at various levels of norepinephrine stimulation. Acetate inhibited the glycerol release in a dose-dependent manner (congruent to 10% inhibition at 2 mM, 25--70% at 10 mM) with the most marked effects at low to moderate norepinephrine concentratione and at maximal (100 ng/ml) hormone stimulation. Ethanol, up to 100 mM concentration, had no effect on the lipolysis rate. Acetaldehyde, up to 1 mM concentration, had no reproducible effect. Ethanol, acetaldehyde, and acetate in combination inhibited glycerol release to an extent similar to that of acetate alone.