Acylcarnitine accumulation in skeletal muscle and plasma has been observed in numerous models of mitochondrial lipid overload and insulin resistance. Fish oil n3PUFA (omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) are thought to protect against lipid-induced insulin resistance. The present study tested the hypothesis that the addition of n3PUFA to an intravenous lipid emulsion would limit muscle acylcarnitine accumulation and reduce the inhibitory effect of lipid overload on insulin action. On three occasions, six healthy young men underwent a 6-h euglycaemic–hyperinsulinaemic clamp accompanied by intravenous infusion of saline (Control), 10% Intralipid® [n6PUFA (omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids)] or 10% Intralipid®+10% Omegaven® (2:1; n3PUFA). The decline in insulin-stimulated whole-body glucose infusion rate, muscle PDCa (pyruvate dehydrogenase complex activation) and glycogen storage associated with n6PUFA compared with Control was prevented with n3PUFA. Muscle acetyl-CoA accumulation was greater following n6PUFA compared with Control and n3PUFA, suggesting that mitochondrial lipid overload was responsible for the lower insulin action observed. Despite these favourable metabolic effects of n3PUFA, accumulation of total muscle acylcarnitine was not attenuated when compared with n6PUFA. These findings demonstrate that n3PUFA exert beneficial effects on insulin-stimulated skeletal muscle glucose storage and oxidation independently of total acylcarnitine accumulation, which does not always reflect mitochondrial lipid overload.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Research Article|
May 07 2014
Fish oil omega-3 fatty acids partially prevent lipid-induced insulin resistance in human skeletal muscle without limiting acylcarnitine accumulation
Francis B. Stephens;
*MRC/ARUK Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, U.K.
Correspondence: Dr Francis B. Stephens (email [email protected]).
Search for other works by this author on:
Buddhike Mendis;
Buddhike Mendis
*MRC/ARUK Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, U.K.
Search for other works by this author on:
Chris E. Shannon;
Chris E. Shannon
*MRC/ARUK Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, U.K.
Search for other works by this author on:
Scott Cooper;
Scott Cooper
*MRC/ARUK Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, U.K.
Search for other works by this author on:
Catharine A. Ortori;
Catharine A. Ortori
†Centre for Analytical Bioscience, School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, U.K.
Search for other works by this author on:
David A. Barrett;
David A. Barrett
†Centre for Analytical Bioscience, School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, U.K.
Search for other works by this author on:
Peter Mansell;
Peter Mansell
*MRC/ARUK Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, U.K.
Search for other works by this author on:
Kostas Tsintzas
Kostas Tsintzas
*MRC/ARUK Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, U.K.
Search for other works by this author on:
Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
January 09 2014
Revision Received:
February 28 2014
Accepted:
March 10 2014
Accepted Manuscript online:
March 10 2014
Online ISSN: 1470-8736
Print ISSN: 0143-5221
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2014 Biochemical Society
2014
Clin Sci (Lond) (2014) 127 (5): 315–322.
Article history
Received:
January 09 2014
Revision Received:
February 28 2014
Accepted:
March 10 2014
Accepted Manuscript online:
March 10 2014
Citation
Francis B. Stephens, Buddhike Mendis, Chris E. Shannon, Scott Cooper, Catharine A. Ortori, David A. Barrett, Peter Mansell, Kostas Tsintzas; Fish oil omega-3 fatty acids partially prevent lipid-induced insulin resistance in human skeletal muscle without limiting acylcarnitine accumulation. Clin Sci (Lond) 1 September 2014; 127 (5): 315–322. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/CS20140031
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign in to your personal account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.
Biochemical Society Member Sign in
Sign InSign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionGet Access To This Article
Open Access for all
We offer compliant routes for all authors from 2025. With library support, there will be no author nor reader charges in 5 journals. Check here |
![]() |