Intestinal stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 regulates energy balance via alterations in bile acid homeostasis.

Background and Aims

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1) converts saturated fatty acids into monounsaturated fatty acids and plays an important regulatory role in lipid metabolism. Previous studies have demonstrated that mice deficient in SCD1 are protected from diet-induced obesity and hepatic steatosis due to altered lipid esterification and increased energy expenditure. Previous studies in our lab have shown that intestinal SCD1 modulates intestinal and plasma lipids and alters cholesterol metabolism. Here we investigated a novel role for intestinal SCD1 in the regulation of systemic energy balance.

Methods

To interrogate the role of intestinal SCD1 in modulating whole body metabolism, intestine-specific

Results

iKO mice displayed elevated plasma and hepatic bile acid content and decreased fecal bile acid excretion, associated with increased expression of the ileal bile acid uptake transporter,

Conclusion

Our results indicate that deletion of intestinal SCD1 has significant impacts on bile acid metabolism and whole-body energy balance, likely via activation of TGR5.