Lipid metabolism in endotoxic shock.

A brief overview of the alterations in the control of free fatty acid (FFA) and triglyceride (TG) turnover following the administration of Escherichia coli endotoxin is presented. Hormone-sensitive lipase activity was increased following either in vivo or in vitro administration of endotoxin. In conscious dogs, the rate of appearance of glycerol was also increased while that of FFA was not changed, indicating that in addition to increased lipolysis, increased reesterification in the adipose tissue may also be present. Myocardial utilization of FFA was decreased and that of lactate increased following endotoxin both in vivo and in vitro using isolated myocytes. Both myocardial and adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase activity were decreased following endotoxin, indicating a possible decrease in TG removal by these tissues. Additional studies are warranted to further elucidate the interrelation between the changes of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism and those of hemodynamics in shock.