Effects of rosiglitazone and oleic acid on UCP-3 expression in L6 myotubes

Aims: The regulation of uncoupling protein-3 (UCP-3) expression in muscle remains unclear, specifically in relation to dietary and drug treatments. The present study evaluated the effects of oleic acid and rosiglitazone on UCP-3 mRNA expression in differentiated L6 myotubes. Methods: L6 myocytes were cultured and differentiated prior to exposure to rosiglitazone 10 µmol/l, oleic acid 100 µmol/l, or the combination, for 24 h, prior to semiquantitative evaluation of UCP-3 mRNA relative to GAPDH mRNA by RT-PCR. Results: Exposure to oleic acid produced a significant increase in UCP-3 mRNA (0.012 ± 0.007 vs. 0.0011 ± 0.0006 for untreated cells, relative to GAPDH mRNA, p