The Effect of Obesity and Cushing's Disease on the Incorporation of Glucose into Lipid and Esterification of Palmitate by Human Adipose Tissue

Abstract 1. Rates of lipogenesis from glucose and palmitate have been measured in adipose tissue obtained from patients with obesity, diabetes, Cushing's disease and surgical controls. 2. Conversion of glucose into neutral lipid when expressed on the basis of tissue protein decreased in the following order: Cushing's patients, controls, obese patients. 3. A similar pattern of incorporation of T‐palmitate into neutral lipid was observed for the three groups of patients, except the differences were less marked. 4. Maximal activities of phosphofructokinase in adipose tissue are reduced in obesity (p< 0.05) and diabetics (p< 0.1) compared to surgical controls. 5. Five of the patients with Cushing's disease had an abnormal glucose tolerance test and showed a reduction in maximal activities of hexokinase (p< 0.05) in adipose tissue compared to the other four patients with Cushing's disease when expressed on a wet weight basis.