Abstract
Adipose mass and distribution are related to the incidence of metabolic and circulatory disorders. To assess regional differences in accumulation of dietary nutrients in mesenteric and non-mesenteric adipose tissues, radioactivity in total lipid in adipose tissues was measured for 4hr after oral administration of [14C]-triolein and d-[2-3H]-glucose to young rats. 4 hr after the labeled nutrients instillation, the amount of 14C derived from triolein was significantly more than that in non-mesenteric depot. Despite differences in the digestion process and delivery route to the general circulation, incorporation of 3H derived from glucose was also more in mesenteric than in other adipose tissue. Due to its unique anatomical location and characteristic endocrine function, preferential accumulation of dietary nutrients in mesenteric adipose tissue may have relevance to the pathology of abdominal obesity and its complications but the physiological and cellular basis for the regional differences in fat accumulation remains to be clarified.
