Lactate – a regulator of human adipose tissue metabolic function

Provided the interesting, proposed ability of lactate to regulate molecular processes in adipose tissue, which could have direct implications for metabolic health, the overall purpose of this project is to investigate this concept in a human in vivo model.

Through the implementation of an extensive experimental human trial the overall aim of the project is to examine the role of lactate in the acute and long-term regulation of metabolism in human adipose tissue. For this we have created a physiologically relevant model where blood lactate levels are elevated at rest, to levels normally reached when performing exercise.

The overall ambition of the project is to increase the knowledge about how lactate, a fundamental molecule in human metabolism, can control adipose tissue function and metabolic properties. This could have important implications for how we prescribe exercise and design pharmacological interventions to prevent and treat obesity and its related comorbidities.

The primary research questions are as follows:
1.) Does elevated blood lactate levels at rest result in reduced lipolysis and thus reduced levels of circulating free fatty acids?
2.) Is GPR81-PKA-CREB signaling in adipose tissue altered by elevated blood lactate levels in humans at rest?
3.) Does elevated blood lactate levels at rest stimulate increased global and specific mRNA expression in human adipose tissue?
4.) Are there sex differences in human adipose tissue lactate signaling, such as in the expression of GPR81?