RESUMEN
CONTEXT: In obesity, the cells are exposed to excessive amounts of nutrients, especially free fatty acids (FFAs) that induce a variety of metabolic changes. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of FFAs on the mitochondrial function in different cell populations under stress conditions. METHODS: Human adipose tissue progenitor cells (SVF) or endothelial cells (HUVECs) were incubated with 30µM of selected saturated or unsaturated FFA for 24 h, at times supplemented with 5ng/mL tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) for the last 4 h. Changes in oxygen respiration rate, mitochondrial membrane potential (mitoMP) and total ATP content were monitored. RESULTS: Saturated palmitic acid demonstrated no effect, while a selection of unsaturated FFAs ameliorated metabolism of the progenitor SVF cells. TNFα either did not affect or nullified some of the favourable FFA-induced effects. CONCLUSIONS: The mitoMP was the most sensitive parameter reflecting positive impact of the unsaturated FFA on the adipose SVF cells' metabolism.