Tetradecylthioacetic acid (TTA)

[Neil5587]

From what I read on the marketing end of it, this acid increases the amount of mitochondria in muscle cells which is supposedly where fat is actually burned. If that is true then increasing the number of mitochondria within each muscle cell would theoretically increase fat loss potential exponentially. Also another bodily response to TTA is the catabolism of fatty acids. Does this potentiate the body for catabolism all together though? So while burning these fatty acids are u also wasting hard earned muscle? Anyone know anything about this from the research end? Discuss.......

[Lex350]

Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Bergen, Haukeland Hospital, N-5021 Bergen, Norway.

Tetradecylthioacetic acid (TTA) is a non-beta-oxidizable fatty acid analog, which potently regulates lipid homeostasis. Here we evaluate the ability of TTA to prevent diet-induced and genetically determined adiposity and insulin resistance. In Wistar rats fed a high fat diet, TTA administration completely prevented diet-induced insulin resistance and adiposity. In genetically obese Zucker (fa/fa) rats TTA treatment reduced the epididymal adipose tissue mass and improved insulin sensitivity. All three rodent peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) subtypes were activated by TTA in the ranking order PPARalpha > PPARdelta > PPARgamma. Expression of PPARgamma target genes in adipose tissue was unaffected by TTA treatment, whereas the hepatic expression of PPARalpha-responsive genes encoding enzymes involved in fatty acid uptake, transport, and oxidation was induced. This was accompanied by increased hepatic mitochondrial beta-oxidation and a decreased fatty acid/ketone body ratio in plasma. These findings indicate that PPARalpha-dependent mechanisms play a pivotal role, but additionally, the involvement of PPARalpha-independent pathways is conceivable. Taken together, our results suggest that a TTA-induced increase in hepatic fatty acid oxidation and ketogenesis drains fatty acids from blood and extrahepatic tissues and that this contributes significantly to the beneficial effects of TTA on fat mass accumulation and peripheral insulin sensitivity.

PMID: 11971945 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]