Hormones and fatty acid metabolism in white adipose tissue [proceedings].

This short review is devoted to considerations of acute regulation rather than longerterm effects achieved through dietary manipulation or massive and prolonged hormone administration in t h o . Adipose-tissue fatty acid metabolism is conveniently divided into: assimilation of fatty acids from circulating lipoproteins; synthesis de novo of fatty acids, mainly from carbohydrate; assembly of triacylglycerol and phospholipids (esterification); fatty acid oxidation and triacylglycerol degradation (lipolysis). All of these processes can be acutely influenced by hormones in some way. In addition, one should also consider the roles of long-chain fatty acids or their derivatives as possible regulators of metabolism.