Selective adipogenic effects of propionate on bovine intramuscular and subcutaneous preadipocytes

This study investigated the regulation by propionate of proliferation and differentiation of bovine intramuscular preadipocytes (BIPs) and subcutaneous preadipocytes (BSPs) and compared the adipogenic potential of these two preadipocytes from different sites. Propionate had no significant proliferative effects on BIPs or BSPs but the proliferative potential was higher in BSPs than in BIPs in all treatment groups (P < 0.05). Furthermore, propionate significantly stimulated differentiation in a dose-dependent manner in BIPs (1, 3, and 6 mM, P < 0.05), but did not differ from each other (P < 0.05). However, propionate significantly promoted differentiation in BSPs only in the 1 mM group (P < 0.05). Additionally, differential effects of propionate on the differentiation of BIPs and BSPs were detected. Taken together, these results indicate that propionate has selective adipogenic effects on BIPs and BSPs, and contributes to the hypertrophy of adipocytes within intramuscular adipose tissue but to the recruitment of new adipocytes within subcutaneous adipose tissue.