Adipose lipoprotein lipase in insulin-treated diabetic lean and obese Zucker rats

Obese and lean alloxan-diabetic rats were given daily injections of insulin for 9 days. Plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were not different between the two genotypes given comparable amounts of insulin. Carcass fat and epididymal and retroperitoneal fat pad weights increased as the dose of insulin was increased. At each of four doses, fatties had larger fat cells, bigger pads, and more body fat than lean rats. Adipose lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity per pad or per fat cell was increased by insulin. Except for the lowest dose of insulin, LPL activity was higher in obese rats than in lean rats. LPL activity per cell and cell size were highly correlated. However, when differences in cell size were corrected for, no significant effect of genotype existed. Cardiac LPL activities were different between the two genotypes only in nondiabetic rats. These results suggested that both insulin and some other genetic factors were important in elevating adipose LPL activities and thus fat deposition in obese Zucker rats.