Fig. 7.

The role of AMPK activation in lipid metabolism in white adipocytes. Acute activation of AMPK inhibits HSL activity (1), which prevents hydrolysis of DAG (2) and subsequent liberation of glycerol and FAs (3). Acute and chronic pharmacological AMPK activation powerfully suppresses FA uptake (4), conferring an anti-lipogenic role for AMPK in white adipose tissue. Furthermore, chronic AMPK activation upregulates the expression of genes (PGC-1α, PPARα, PPARδ, CPT-1b) (5) that increase the ability of the cell to dispose of FAs intracellularly through β-oxidation (6). ATGL content is also increased with AMPK activation (7) and catalyzes the hydrolysis of one FA from TAG. ⊕ and → denote stimulation; ⊣ denotes inhibition. MAG, monoacylglycerol; LKB1, AMPK kinase.