Liver denervation affects hepatocyte mitochondrial fatty acid transport capacity

The effect of liver denervation on the activity of hepatic carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) system, which catalyses the transfer of long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondria, was studied in rats. Noradrenaline content in phenol-denervated liver (D) was reduced by 87%. CPT I and II activities (measured by radioassay after detergent separation of the enzymes) were decreased (p < 0.001) in D (2.6 ± 0.1 and 0.68 ± 0.2 nmol min^-1 mg^-1 protein, respectively) as compared with controls (4.7 ± 0.3 and 2.5 ± 0.2 nmol min^-1 mg ^-1 protein, for CPT I and II, respectively). A less intense immunoreactive band for denervated liver CPT II was obtained after Western blotting. Concomitantly, long-chain fatty acid incorporation (p < 0.001), evaluated after administration of [¹⁴C]-oleate and total fat content (p < 0.001) were increased in D in relation to controls, while incorporation of exogenous [¹⁴C]-oleate into secreted VLDL, was decreased (p < 0.01). The effect of sympathetic denervation on CPT activity was different from that evoked by adrenodemedullation, which caused an augmentation of CPT activity (p < 0.01), when compared with the liver of intact rats. The effects of denervation and adrenodemedullation on the other parameters of lipid metabolism studied, were similar. The results strongly suggest a role of liver sympathetic innervation in the regulation of liver lipid metabolism.