PSUN84 Chronic Adrenergic Stimulation in Humans Increases Plasma Bile Acids and Expression of Bile Acid Synthesis Enzymes in White Adipose Tissue

Bile acids (BAs) are classically known as facilitators of fat digestion. Moreover, they are now known to be ligands for receptors involved in glucose and lipoprotein metabolism. BA synthesis was originally thought to be exclusive to hepatic tissue, but emerging evidence in rodents has demonstrated the expression of BA transporters and de novo synthetic enzymes in murine adipose tissue. We previously showed that chronic activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) and white adipose tissue (WAT) in adult women via the β3-adrenergic receptor (ADRB3) agonist mirabegron increases total plasma BA levels. The largest increases were seen with primary unconjugated BAs. Overall, these data suggest that chronic adrenergic stimulation may increase the synthesis and activity of BA synthesis enzymes in human adipose tissue, which contributes to the increase in total plasma BAs. To confirm this hypothesis, we measured expression levels of BAT and BA synthesis enzymes in liver and adipose tissues collected from healthy patients and those with pheochromocytoma (pheo) who experienced chronic adrenergic activation. As expected, expression of thermogenic UCP1 and ADRB3 was higher in pheo peri-renal BAT than in liver tissue (76,000x, P<0.001; and 6,000x, P=0.02, respectively) or either healthy subcutaneous WAT or pheo subcutaneous WAT (≥1500x, P<0.001 for UCP1). Conversely, expression of the rate-determining enzyme in BA synthesis CYP7A1 was similar in liver and both WAT depots (P>0.05), and liver had slightly higher expression than BAT (3x, P=0.03). Otherwise, most of the principal BA synthesis genes’ expression levels demonstrated the following stepwise pattern: liver tissue > pheo WAT = subcutaneous WAT > BAT (CYP8B1, CYP27A1, AKR1D1, and BAAT). These results suggest that BA production in humans is not limited to the liver. Rather, human WAT in particular may contribute to the BA pool and could serve as a target for producing BA-mediated improvements in glucose and lipoprotein metabolism. Presentation: Sunday, June 12, 2022 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.