Adrenergic regulation of fat-cell lipolysis in multiple symmetric lipomatosis.

The responsiveness towards catecholamines of normal and lipomatous fat cells of two male subjects suffering from multiple symmetric lipomatosis has been studied by means of a newly developed bioluminescent method for microdetermination of glycerol. In contrast to previous findings, lipomatous fat cells displayed normal alpha 2-and beta-adrenergic responsiveness in both subjects studied. The apparent discrepancies between the results of the present study and those reported by others therefore support the contention that multiple symmetric lipomatosis is a symptom with various underlying causes rather than a nosological entity.