Oleoyl-estrone treatment activates apoptotic mechanisms in white adipose tissue

To determine whether lipid mobilization in white adipose tissue caused by oleoyl-estrone (OE) treatment leads to activation of apoptosis, female Wistar rats were given a daily oral gavage of 10 μmol/kg of OE in 0.2 ml of sunflower oil and DNA fragmentation in different adipose tissues was assessed by ligation-mediated PCR after 6, 24, 48, or 240 h. Expression of selected apoptotic target genes was analysed by RT-PCR in adipose tissue from animals treated for 2 days. The response of adipose tissue to OE treatment was not the same in all locations. In mesenteric adipose tissue, a significant increase in the expression of Bid, Bax, caspase 3 and caspase 8 was detected, whereas in periovaric adipose tissue, only Bax and caspase 3 expression showed significant increases. No effect was detected in subcutaneous or retroperitoneal adipose tissue. The increased expression of apoptotic factors suggests that this pathway could be activated by OE treatment.