The goal of the present study was to examine cellular mechanisms that regulate adipose cell metabolism in ovariectomized (OVX) and intact rats that were subjected to long-term (27 weeks) treatment with dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Forty-eight 16-month-old female rats were divided into 4 groups of 9 to 11 animals (intact, intact-DHEA, OVX, OVX-DHEA). Adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase (LPL), hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent phosphodiesterase (cAMP-PDE) activities were determined, and alpha2-, beta1/beta2-, and beta3-adrenoceptors (ARs) were quantified. DHEA did not affect body weight, fat, or muscle mass in intact rats. The similar retroperitoneal fat pad weight of intact-DHEA rats compared to intact animals was in agreement with the lack of difference in the enzyme activities and AR densities. The increased body weight of OVX rat was paralleled by a greater retroperitoneal adipose tissue mass (P <.01), which was in turn associated with a marked rise in LPL activity (P <.005) and a slight decrease in HSL activity (P <.05) compared to intact animals. OVX-DHEA rats, compared to untreated OVX animals, had a smaller retroperitoneal fat depot, which correlated with a decrease in LPL activity (P <.005) and moderate increase in both HSL activity and beta3-AR density (P <.05). DHEA-treatment lowered fasting insulin and triglyceride levels in both intact and OVX rats (P <.05). Plasma testosterone, androsterone, androstenedione, and androstenediol levels were also significantly increased in both intact-DHEA and OVX-DHEA rats compared to untreated animals (P <.0001). These findings suggest that the antiobesity action of DHEA may be related in part to changes in lipase activities and in beta3-AR density, and that it is dependent on the ovarian status of the animal.
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