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Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Determination of Fatty Acid Oxidation and Lipogenesis in Mouse Primary Hepatocytes
Published on: August 27, 2015
Inhibitor/fatty acid interactions with cytochrome P-450 BM3
I D Macdonald1, W E Smith, A W Munro
1Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.
Abstract:
The interaction of fatty acid substrate (palmitate) and inhibitor (metyrapone: 2-methyl-1,2-di-3-pyridyl-1-propanone) with cytochrome P-450 BM3 was analysed by UV-visible and circular dichroism spectroscopy, and by surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS). While visible spectroscopy provides information on the relative affinities of these compounds, SERRS provides additional novel data indicating palmitate-induced structural changes in the haem environment. SERRS also demonstrates that binding of both palmitate and the large nitrogenous ligand metyrapone occurs simultaneously to P-450 BM3 -- highlighting the usefulness of this technique in probing haemoprotein active sites.
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