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(1) Effects of dietary treatment of male albino rats with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or docosahexaenoic acid on hepatic mitochondrial lipid metabolism have been investigated. (2) Mitochondria isolated from rats given these treatments were shown to have increased ability to respire on acyl-CoA esters in the presence of malonate. This effect was expressed with most of the long-chain acyl-CoA esters used as substrates. When malonate in the incubations was replaced with malate, mitochondria from treated animals were found to exhibit diminished rates of respiration on polyunsaturated acyl-CoA esters, in particular linolenoyl-, eicosapentaenoyl- and docosahexaenoyl-CoA. This phenomenon could not be attributed to changes in activity of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I or in peroxisomal beta-oxidation. (3) Uncoupled respiration on glutamate, malate or succinate was also affected by treatment with EPA. With liver mitochondria isolated from rats that had been treated with a omega-3 fatty acid in the fasted state, the respiratory rates were lower than those observed with mitochondria isolated from control rats. Respiratory rates with mitochondria isolated from rats given the omega-3 fatty acid in the fed state was not significantly different from control rates. (4) In rats treated with EPA in the fed state, the amount of EPA incorporated into mitochondrial lipids was markedly more increased as compared to rats given omega-3 fatty acid in the fasted state. Incorporation of dietary EPA into tissue lipids was investigated, also following mildronate treatment of rats (an inhibitor of carnitine biosynthesis). (5) A hypolipidaemic effect of dietary EPA was only observed when the fatty acid was given to fed rats. Rats treated with EPA in the fasted state, in contrast, exhibited hypoglycaemia, the hypolipidaemic effects now being absent. (6) These results suggest that hypolipidaemia is most pronounced when the metabolic state favours incorporation of dietary EPA into body lipids rather than its beta-oxidation, as mediated by the fed/fasted transition or by treatment with mildronate.

1. 14C-labelled fatty acyl-CoA esters resulting from beta-oxidation of [U-14C]hexadecanoate by peroxisomal fractions isolated from rats treated with clofibrate showed the presence of the full range of saturated intermediates down to acetyl-CoA. 2. The pattern of intermediates generated was fairly constant. At low concentrations of [U-14C]hexadecanoate (50 microM), decanoyl-CoA was present in lowest amounts. At higher concentrations of [U-14C]hexadecanoate (greater than 100 microM), all intermediates of chain length shorter than 12 carbon atoms (except acetyl-CoA) were present at similar low concentrations; the process of beta-oxidation now resembling chain-shortening of hexadecanoate by two cycles of beta-oxidation. 3. In the absence of an NAD(+)-regenerating system [pyruvate and lactate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.28)] 2-enoyl- and 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA esters were generated, suggesting that re-oxidation of NADH is essential for optimal rates of peroxisomal beta-oxidation in vitro. 4. At high concentrations of [U-14C]hexadecanoate (greater than 100 microM), 3-oxohexadecanoyl-CoA was produced, suggesting that thiolase (acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase; EC 2.3.1.9) can become rate-limiting for peroxisomal beta-oxidation.

1. The effects of 3-, 4- and 5-thia-substituted fatty acids on mitochondrial and peroxisomal beta-oxidation have been investigated. When the sulphur atom is in the 4-position, the resulting thia-substituted fatty acid becomes a powerful inhibitor of beta-oxidation. 2. This inhibition cannot be explained in terms of simple competitive inhibition, a phenomenon which characterizes the inhibitory effects of 3- and 5-thia-substituted fatty acids. The inhibitory sites for 4-thia-substituted fatty acids are most likely to be the acyl-CoA dehydrogenase in mitochondria and the acyl-CoA oxidase in peroxisomes. 3. The inhibitory effect of 4-thia-substituted fatty acids is expressed both in vitro and in vivo. The effect in vitro is instantaneous, with up to 95% inhibition of palmitoylcarnitine oxidation. The effect in vivo, in contrast, is dose-dependent and increases with duration of treatment. 4. Pretreatment of rats with a 3-thia-substituted fatty acid rendered mitochondrial beta-oxidation less sensitive to inhibition by 4-thia-substituted fatty acids.

1. A luminometric assay for acyl-CoA oxidase activity is described. The assay uses the luminol/microperoxidase system to monitor continuously acyl-CoA-dependent generation of H2O2. The assay is rapid, convenient, and lends itself to automation with an LKB 1251 luminometer. The assay is extremely sensitive, requiring at the most 10 micrograms of liver-homogenate protein per assay. 2. The assay can also be used to measure other oxidases, e.g. glycollate oxidase (EC 1.1.3.15), D-aspartate oxidase (EC 1.4.3.1) and urate oxidase (EC 1.7.3.3), the only modification being substitution of substrates to appropriate concentration. 3. With rat liver homogenates, spectrophotometrically measured rates of palmitoyl-CoA-dependent NAD+ reduction and acyl-CoA oxidase activity [Hryb & Hogg (1979) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 87, 1200-1206] was generally found in good agreement with luminometrically measured acyl-CoA oxidase activity. 4. With liver homogenates from streptozotocin-diabetic rats, however, rates of palmitoyl-CoA-dependent NAD+ reduction were consistently lower than the corresponding acyl-CoA oxidase activity. This difference was most marked with respect to luminometrically assayed acyl-CoA oxidase activity.

1. beta-Oxidation of gamma-linolenoylcarnitine, arachidonoylcarnitine and docosahexaenoylcarnitine by isolated rat liver mitochondria is inhibited by uncoupling conditions. Partial re-activation is obtained with added ATP. With mitochondria from clofibrate-treated rats ATP-stimulated rates of beta-oxidation of docosahexaenoylcarnitine are higher than ADP-stimulated rates. This is not observed with the beta-oxidation of oleoylcarnitine. 2. beta-Oxidation of docosahexaenoylcarnitine, in the presence of rotenone, is inhibited by added oxaloacetate, analogous to previous findings with pent-4-enoylcarnitine [see Osmundsen (1978) FEBS Lett. 88, 219-222]. In the absence of rotenone added oxaloacetate stimulates the beta-oxidation of docosahexaenoylcarnitine, but has the opposite effect on the beta-oxidation of palmitoylcarnitine. 3. beta-Oxidation of polyunsaturated acylcarnitines by isolated rat liver mitochondria is selectively increased after treatment of the animals with a low dietary dose (0.2%, w/w) of clofibrate. Treatment with a higher dose of clofibrate (0.5%, w/w) resulted in a general stimulation of beta-oxidation. 4. The results presented suggest that long-chain fatty acids possessing a delta 4-double bond are not readily beta-oxidized unless the 2,4-enoyl-CoA reductase (EC 1.3.1.-) is operating.

Liver peroxisomes were prepared by using a Percoll gradient in a vertical rotor. beta-Oxidation was measured in peroxisomes isolated from livers of rats fed on either high-(15% by wt.) or low- (5% by wt.) fat diets. The feeding of high-fat diets gave a 1.4-2.4-fold increase in total liver peroxisomal beta-oxidation, and a similar increase in specific activity. A 1.5-4.5-fold increase was seen in the specific activity of purified peroxisomal preparations. The reasons for these increases are discussed.

Rates of peroxisomal beta-oxidation were measured as fatty acyl-CoA-dependent NAD+ reduction, by using solubilized peroxisomal fractions isolated from livers of rats treated with clofibrate. Medium- to long-chain saturated fatty acyl-CoA esters as well as long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acyl-CoA esters were used. Peroxisomal beta-oxidation shows optimal specificity towards long-chain polyunsaturated acyl-CoA esters. Eicosa-8,11,14-trienoyl-CoA, eicosa-11,14,17-trienoyl-CoA and docosa-7,10,13,16-tetraenoyl-CoA all gave Vmax. values of about 150% of that obtained with palmitoyl-CoA. The Km values obtained with these fatty acyl-CoA esters were 17 +/- 6, 13 +/- 4 and 22 +/- 3 microM respectively, which are in the same range as the value for palmitoyl-CoA (13.8 +/- 1 microM). Myristoyl-CoA gave the higher Vmax. (110% of the palmitoyl-CoA value) of the saturated fatty acyl-CoAs tested. Substrate inhibition was mostly observed with acyl-CoA esters giving Vmax. values higher than 50% of that given by palmitoyl-CoA.

1. A spectrophotometric direct-reading assay for measurements of beta-oxidation by intact mitochondria is described. The procedure relies on the ability of ferricyanide to trap reducing equivalents generated by the acyl-CoA dehydrogenases (EC 1.3.99.3). The reduction of ferricyanide was recorded by using a dual-wavelength spectrophotometer. 2. Oxaloacetate or acetoacetate was used to stimulate the rate of beta-oxidation by rotenone-blocked mitochondria. Although both were effective with rat liver mitochondria, oxaloacetate gave about 75% more stimulation. With heart or kidney mitochondria, only oxaloacetate gave marked stimulation. Acetoacetate had no stimulatory effect with heart mitochondria, but a small stimulatory effect on the rate of beta-oxidation by kidney mitochondria. 3. The stoicheiometry of beta-oxidation-dependent reduction of ferricyanide was examined, and good correlations were found between experimental and theoretical amounts of ferricyanide reduced. 4. Ferricyanide appears as efficient a final electron acceptor as O2. With ferricyanide the rate of beta-oxidation by heart mitochondria can be measured without interference from the oxidation of tricarboxylic acid-cycle intermediates.

Rates of acylcarnitine oxidation by isolated heart mitochondria from various animal species were measured polarographically, and by using a spectrophotometric assay [see Osmundsen & Bremer (1977) Biochem. J. 164, 621-633]. Polarographic measurements do not give a correct guide to abilities to beta-oxidize very-long-chain acylcarnitines, in particular C22:1 fatty acylcarnitines. 2. No significant species differences were detected in the abilities to beta-oxidize various C22:1 fatty acylcarnitines. Significant species differences were, however, detected when rates of beta-oxidation were correlated with rates of respiration brought about by very-long-chain acylcarnitines. We concluded that some aspects of oxidative metabolism (possibly the oxidation of tricarboxylic acid-cycle intermediates) are inhibited by very-long-chain fatty acids in some species (e.g. the rat and the cat but not in others (e.g. the pig and the rabbit). 3. It is proposed that the pattern of variation of rates of oxidation of various acylcarnitines (as measured spectrophotometrically) of various chain lengths can be used as a guide to the chain-length specificities of the acyl-CoA dehydrogenases of beta-oxidation (EC 1.3.99.3).

Evidence showing that some unsaturated fatty acids, and in particular docosahexaenoic acid, can be powerful inhibitors of mitochondrial beta-oxidation is presented. This inhibitory property is, however, also observed with the cis- and trans-isomers of the C18:1(16) acid. Hence it is probably the position of the double bond(s), and not the degree of unsaturation, which confers the inhibitory property. It is suggested that the inhibitory effect is caused by accumulation of 2,4-di- or 2,4,7-tri-enoyl-CoA esters in the mitochondrial matrix. This has previously been shown to occur with these fatty acids, in particular when the supply of NADPH was limiting 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase (EC 1.3.1.-) activity [Hiltunen, Osmundsen & Bremer (1983) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 752, 223-232]. Liver mitochondria from streptozotocin-diabetic rats showed an increased ability to beta-oxidize 2,4-dienoyl-CoA-requiring acylcarnitines. Docosahexaenoylcarnitine was also found to be less inhibitory at lower concentrations with incubation under coupled conditions. With uncoupling conditions there was little difference between mitochondria from normal and diabetic rats in these respects. This correlates with a 5-fold stimulation of 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase activity found in mitochondria from streptozotocin-diabetic rats.