Prevention of peroxisomal proliferation by carnitine palmitoyltransferase inhibitors in cultured rat hepatocytes and in vivo

1. The induction of peroxisomal β-oxidation activities by bezafibrate in cultured rat hepatocytes and in the rat in vivo was prevented by inhibitors of carnitine acyltransferase, e.g. 2-bromopalmitate, 2-[5-(4-chlorophenyl)pentyl]oxirane-2-carboxylate or 2-tetradecylglycidic acid. 2. The prevention of peroxisomal proliferation by carnitine palmitoyltransferase inhibitors could not be accounted for by inhibition of mitochondrial β-oxidation, since 2-bromo-octanoate, acting as an inhibitor of β-oxidation, did not prevent the induction of peroxisomal activities in cultured rat hepatocytes. 3. The putative role of the acylcarnitine derivative of bezafibrate was analysed by studying the formation of bezafibroylcarnitine with bezafibroyl-CoA as substrate. However, no bezafibroylcarnitine formation was demonstrated in the presence of rat liver preparations capable of catalysing transfer to carnitine of medium- or long-chain fatty acids. 4. The prevention of peroxisomal proliferation by carnitine acyltransferase inhibitors may help in dissecting the causal relationship between the multiple effects mediated by peroxisomal proliferators.