Beyond lipids, pharmacological PPARalpha activation has important effects on amino acid metabolism as studied in the rat

PPARalpha agonists have been characterized largely in terms of their effects on lipids and glucose metabolism, whereas little has been reported about effects on amino acid metabolism. We studied responses to the PPARalpha agonist WY 14,643 (30 micromol x kg(-1) x day(-1) for 4 wk) in rats fed a saturated fat diet. Plasma and urine were analyzed with proton NMR. Plasma amino acids were measured using HPLC, and hepatic gene expression was assessed with DNA arrays. The high-fat diet elevated plasma levels of insulin and triglycerides (TG), and WY 14,643 treatment ameliorated this insulin resistance and dyslipidemia, lowering plasma insulin and TG levels. In addition, treatment decreased body weight gain, without altering cumulative food intake, and increased liver mass. WY 14,643 increased plasma levels of 12 of 22 amino acids, including glucogenic and some ketogenic amino acids, whereas arginine was significantly decreased. There was no alteration in branched-chain amino acid levels. Compared with the fat-fed control animals, WY 14,643-treated animals had raised plasma urea and ammonia levels as well as raised urine levels of N-methylnicotinamide and dimethylglycine. WY 14,643 induced changes in a number of key genes involved in amino acid metabolism in addition to expected effects on hepatic genes involved in lipid catabolism and ketone body formation. In conclusion, the present results suggest that, in rodents, effects of pharmacological PPARalpha activation extend beyond control of lipid metabolism to include important effects on whole body amino acid mobilization and hepatic amino acid metabolism.