Effects of intravenous infusion of a ten percent soybean emulsion on hormones, amino acids and other substrates in blood

Abstract Acute responses in hormone and substrate concentrations to intravenous administration of a fat emulsion were studied in metabolically normal subjects. Eight subjects were infused with either a fat emulsion or an aqueous solution of glycerol for 3 h. Serum triglycerides (TG), free fatty acids (FFA), glucose, glycerol, 3-hydroxybutyrate (3-OH butyrate), insulin, thyroid hormones, plasma glucagon, norepinephrine, and amino acids were measured. The infusion of a fat emulsion induced a 30% increase in glucose and a 22% decrease in alanine together with significant elevations of TG (> 10 mM) and FFA (>1 mM). A small increase in insulin (4 μU/ml) and a reduction in glucagon (40 pg/ml) were observed. Eight-fold increases in glycerol occurred with both the fat emulsion and glycerol infusions. The administration of a fat emulsion resulted in a 4-fold increase in 3-OH butyrate, whereas glycerol infusion reduced its level by 50%. Glycerol infusion produced no measurable effects on the substrates other than glycerol or 3-OH butyrate. No significant changes were observed in thyroid hormones or norepinephrine after either solution was given. The data suggest that acute elevation of FFA by means of intravenous fat emulsions leads to preferential oxidation of FFA and stimulates hepatic ketogenesis with resulting glucose conservation as well as inhibition of alanine production without many alterations in hormonal concentrations.