A. Garnier et al., MODULATION OF FATTY-ACID-BINDING PROTEIN-CONTENT OF ADULT-RAT HEART IN RESPONSE TO CHRONIC CHANGES IN PLASMA-LIPID LEVELS, Molecular and cellular biochemistry, 123(1-2), 1993, pp. 107-112
The aim of this work was to study in the adult rat heart the effect of
modifications of fatty acid (FA) supply on the content of cytoplasmic
fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP(c)). To modify the amount of circu
lating lipids, three different treatments were chosen: (i) an hypolipi
demic treatment with Clofibrate, administered daily through a gastric
tube at a dose of 250 mg/kg per day for one week, (ii) a continuous in
travenous infusion of 20% Intralipid, a fat emulsion, for one week at
a dose of 96 ml/kg per day, and (iii) a normobaric hypoxia exposure (P
O2 = 10%) for three weeks. At the end of each treatment plasma lipids,
myocardial H-FABP(c) content and the activities of three key enzymes
(citrate synthase, CS, fructrose-6-phosphate kinase, FPK and hydroxy-a
cyl CoA-dehydrogenase, HAD) were assessed. With each of the three trea
tments a decrease of plasma cholesterol and phospholipid levels was ob
served. Plasma FA concentration increased with Intralipid infusion and
decreased with chronic hypoxia. The heart H-FABP(c) content was incre
ased by 20% with Clofibrate, decreased by 20% with chronic hypoxia and
remained unaltered upon Intralipid treatment. The induced changes in
H-FABP(c) content were not related directly to changes in plasma lipid
levels. CS activity was slightly decreased in the hypoxia group, FPK
activity decreased in the Clofibrate group, and HAD activity decreased
in the Intralipid group. Among the various groups heart H-FABP(c) con
tent was related to HAD activity. In conclusion, the H-FABP(c) content
of adult rat heart appears responsive to changes in plasma lipid leve
ls.