Effect of Medium Chain Triglyceride on Lipogenesis and Body Fat in the Rat

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Abstract
Body weight, epididymal and perirenal adipose tissue weights, plasma insulin, [1-14C]glucose incorporation into CO2 and lipid in epididymal and perirenal, and activity of lipogenesis-related enzymes in epididymal, perirenal and liver were measured in rats fed a low-fat diet (LF), a 55% (by energy) medium chain triglyceride diet (MCT), or a diet containing 60% corn oil, a long chain triglyceride (LCT). In rats fed the MCT diet for 8 weeks there was 10% decrease in body weight associated with 40% decrease in the combined epididymal and perirenal weights as compared to rats fed LF. After 4 weeks body weight and fat depots were significantly reduced with MCT feeding and significantly increased with LCT feeding, as compared to LF. In the four-week MCT fed rats, the capacity of the entire epididymal and perirenal adipose tissue to incorporate [1-14C]glucose into CO2 and lipids under both basal and insulin stimulated conditions was about ⅓ that of LF fed rats. LCT was more effective than MCT in reducing glucose utilization in perirenal adipose tissue. The activities of acetyl CoA carboxylase (AcCoAC), malic enzyme (ME), citrate cleavage enzyme (CCE), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGDH) in the two adipose tissue sites were strongly depressed by both LCT and MCT feeding, as compared to LF. In liver, MCT feeding decreased the activities of CCE, G6PDH and 6PGDH, by 50% but did not alter ME as compared to LF. All these enzyme activities were reduced by more than 70% by LCT feeding. Insulin levels did not differ significantly among the three groups of rats. The data show that, unlike LCT, MCT has a reductive effect on fat stores, and like LCT, has a depressive effect on lipogenesis, suggesting possible application of MCT in obesity control.