High Plasma Triglyceride Levels in Small Birds during Migratory Flight: A New Pathway for Fuel Supply during Endurance Locomotion at Very High Mass-Specific Metabolic Rates?

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Plasma fat metabolites were measured during the nocturnal migratory flight in three species of small passerines. The birds had higher free fatty acid (FFA) and glycerol levels than resting birds that had been fasted overnight. In contrast to exercising mammals and large birds, they also had elevated levels of triglyceride and the very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) fraction. It is hypothesized that FFA reesterification in the liver and delivery of triglyceride-VLDL to the flight muscles helps to circumvent constraints in energy supply during endurance locomotion in animals with very high mass-specific metabolic rates.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: