Plasma Triglyceride Concentration and Plasma Free Fatty Acid Changes in Response to Norepinephrine in Man*

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Abstract
The relationship in the fasting subject between plasma triglyceride concentration and the magnitude of free fatty acid (FFA) mobilization in response to norepinephrine was investigated in 17 male patients with coronary heart disease and 8 control male subjects of similar age. A highly significant relationship was found between the plasma triglyceride concentration and the absolute and percentile increments in FFA after a 15 -minute infusion of norepinephrine. This relationship applied to both groups of subjects. At any given plasma triglyceride level, however, the FFA response was somewhat greater in the control subject than in the patient with coronary heart disease. The inhibitory effect of nicotinic acid on norepinephrine-in-duced mobilization of FFA was confirmed. In 15 subjects, the fall in plasma FFA after the ingestion of 200 mg nicotinic acid was found to be significantly related to the basal level of FFA. This fall in FFA was also significantly related to the triglyceride concentration.