Regional differences in interstitial glycerol concentration in
subcutaneous adipose tissue of women.
Hickner, R. C., J. S. Fisher, and W. M. Kohrt.
Section of Applied Physiology, Department of Internal Medicine,
Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110
APStracts 4:0169E, 1997.
The aims of this study were to 1) compare two methods of determining
interstitial glycerol concentration in subcutaneous adipose tissue
(AT) and 2) determine whether there are regional differences in
interstitial glycerol concentration in subcutaneous AT of non-obese,
premenopausal women. Microdialysis probes were inserted under local
anesthesia into the abdominal (2 probes) and femoral (1 probe)
subcutaneous AT in each subject (n=5) and perfused with a Ringer
solution containing 2.5 mM glucose and glycerol in concentrations
ranging from 0 to 900 M. Microdialysis probe relative recoveries and
interstitial glycerol concentrations were determined by the no-net
flux method (NNF) and the internal reference method (IR) using
[13C]glycerol. Microdialysis probe relative recoveries were 57.4 3.6
% by NNF and 61.2 10.1 % by IR in femoral AT (P = N.S.) and were 55.2
6.0 % by NNF and 66.6 4.2 % by IR in abdominal AT (P = N.S.). The
calculated interstitial glycerol concentrations determined by NNF and
IR were 236.4 42.7 M and 241.1 39.6 M (P = N.S.) in femoral AT and
151.4 29.7 M and 129.4 18.7 M in abdominal AT (NNF vs. IR, P = N.S.;
femoral vs. abdominal, P < 0.05). It can be concluded that the
interstitial glycerol concentration in the femoral AT of non-obese,
premenopausal females is approximately 240 M and is higher than in
abdominal AT (140 M). Furthermore, the use of a stable isotope of
glycerol as an internal reference is suitable for determining
interstitial glycerol concentrations in subcutaneous adipose tissue
in humans at rest.
Received 31 March 1997; accepted in final form 25 July 1997.
APS Manuscript Number E149-7.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Endocrinol. Metab.).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1997 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 27 August 1997