Adipocyte membrane glycerol permeability is involved in the anti-adipogenic effect of conjugated linoleic acid

Conjugated linoleic acid (CIA), a group of minor fatty acids from ruminant origin, has long been recognized as a body fat lowering agent Given the trans(t)10,cis(c)12-CLA well documented interference on lipolysis, we hypothesized for adipocytes altered permeation to glycerol when supplemented with this isomer. 3T3-L1 murine differentiated adipocytes were medium supplemented with linoleic acid (LA) and individual or combined c9,t11 and t10,c12-CLA isomers. Adipocytes treated with the t10,c12-CLA isomer and CIA mixture showed reduced triacylglycerols content (p < 0.001), re-enforcing the t10,c12-CLA as the anti-adipogenic CIA isomer. This finding was supported by decreased Delta 9-desaturase index and adipocyte differentiation markers for the t10,c12-CLA group (p < 0.001), which suggest reduced lipogenesis and differentiation, respectively. The glycerol permeability was higher in all CIA treated cells compared to control and LA groups (p < 0.05). The increase in glycerol permeability agrees with both reduced triacylglycerols and non-osmotic cellular volume in the t10,c12-CLA and CIA mixture groups. Taken together, our data suggest that the increased adipocyte plasma membrane glycerol fluxes may be part of the anti-adipogenic response to CIA treatments. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.