Metabolic Flexibility in Non-Obese Individuals

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Nkaujyi Khang (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: Human skeletal muscle cells have been used as a tool to study and understand skeletal muscle metabolism due to their retention in characteristics from their donor. Metabolic flexibility is the ability to respond or adapt to conditional changes in metabolic or substrate availability. Metabolic inflexibility has been associated with obesity. Because obesity is rising at epidemic proportions throughout the world and is associated with metabolic diseases, it is important to study and understand metabolic flexibility. It is evident that obese individuals display metabolic inflexibility, however, there is limited information on non-obese individuals and if they too display metabolic inflexibility. In addition, there is limited information whether metabolic inflexibility is retained in muscle cells from obese individuals. PURPOSE: The purpose of this thesis was to examine the relationship between metabolic flexibility in the skeletal muscle of non-obese individuals who exhibit high (n=4) and low (n=3) skeletal muscle homogenate fatty acid oxidation. We expected non-obese individuals who exhibit a high homogenate oxidative capacity to display an enhanced metabolic flexibility in response to lipid incubation compared to non-obese individuals who exhibit a low oxidative capacity. METHODS: Human skeletal muscle cells (HSkMC) from non-obese Caucasian women were tested for metabolic flexibility by incubating the cells for 24 hours in differentiation medium supplemented with 250?M oleate:palmitate and measured for fatty acid oxidation (FAO). Metabolic flexibility is defined as the change in FAO when stimulated with fatty acid for 24 hours. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant increase in lipid stimulated FAO compared to basal FAO in both the low and high oxidizers but no difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION: HSkMC from non-obese Caucasian women exhibiting high skeletal muscle homogenate fatty acid oxidation did not have an enhanced response to lipid incubation compared to HSkMC from the low group.

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Language: English

Date: 2020

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