Effect of troglitazone on the desaturases in a rat model of insulin-resistance induced by a sucrose-rich diet

Abstract A sucrose-rich diet generates time-dependent metabolic disorders similar to those found in diabetes type 2. After 8 month (mo) this diet evoked in the rat an increase of blood glucose, free fatty acids (FFA) and triacylycerides (TG) without insulin modification, an interruption of liver stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD-1) mRNA and activity increase found at 6mo, and an enhacement of Δ 6 and Δ 5 desaturase mRNA and Δ 6 activity. We found that the administration of troglitazone (TRO), a peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptors γ (PPAR- γ ) agonist, for 2mo normalized plasma FFA, TG, and glucose without altering the insulinemia. It depressed liver SCD-1 mRNA in both control and sucrose-fed rats, decreasing the 18:1n-9/18:0 ratio in serum and liver lipids, and eliminated the increasing effect on mRNA and activity of Δ 6 and Δ 5 desaturases. These findings evidence again that desaturases are not affected through an insulin resistant effect evoked by the sucrose-rich diet and TRO recovers the altered metabolic plasma parameters as it corresponds to a PPAR- γ agonist, but its effect on hepatic desaturases can not be attributed to a direct action on liver by PPAR- γ , insulin, and even by an insulin sensitizing mechanism, suggesting it would be evoked indirectly through hepatic PPAR- α deactivation induced by the FFA decrease.