Regulation by oestrogen of carnitine palmitoyltransferase in hepatic mitochondria

Treatment of female rats with ethynyloestradiol decreased both the activity of carnitine palmitoyltransferase and its Ki value for malonyl-CoA compared with pair-fed control rats. In starved rats, carnitine palmitoyltransferase activity and its Ki value for malonyl-CoA were both elevated as expected. Oestrogen treatment had no effect on carnitine palmitoyltransferase activity in the starved state, but the Ki value for malonyl-CoA was substantially decreased by oestrogen. Treatment with a more physiological concentration of ethynyloestradiol (15 micrograms/kg body wt. per day) also produced a decrease in the Ki value for malonyl-CoA. These data suggest that the oestrogen may produce its anti-ketogenic effect by increasing the affinity of carnitine palmitoyltransferase for its physiological inhibitor, malonyl-CoA.