AJP - Endocrinology and Metabolism, Vol 272, Issue 4 E656-E660, Copyright © 1997 by American Physiological Society
Anti-TNF treatment does not reverse the abnormalities in lipid metabolism of the obese Zucker rat
J. Lopez-Soriano, F. J. Lopez-Soriano, G. J. Bagby, D. H. Williamson and J. M. Argiles
Departament de Bioquimica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.
Because obesity, insulin resistance, and hyperlipidemia are often
associated, and recent evidence suggests that the cytokine tumor necrosis
factor-alpha (TNF) may influence the activity of insulin in various target
tissues, the present study was designed to see whether TNF was also
associated with the changes in lipid metabolism that lead to hyperlipidemia
in the obese model of the Zucker rat. A polyclonal goat anti-rat TNF
antibody was subcutaneously administered to Zucker rats for 4 days to block
TNF actions. The results indicate that none of the alterations in lipid
metabolism seen in the obese animals were reversed by the anti-TNF
treatment. This was the case for the lipogenic rate in liver and adipose
tissue, the disposal of an exogenous [14C]triolein load, adipose tissue
lipoprotein lipase activity, and the hypertriglyceridemia. Measurements of
lipolysis in adipose tissue slices from the anti-TNF-treated animals also
did not show any significant effect of the treatment. In conclusion, TNF
does not seem to be involved in the abnormalities of lipid metabolism
observed in the obese Zucker rat.
