Role of β1- and β3-adrenoceptors in the regulation of lipolysis and thermogenesis in rat brown adipocytes.

To evaluate the physiological functions of β1-, β2-, and β3-adrenoceptors (ARs) in brown adipose tissue, the lipolytic and respiratory effects of various adrenergic agonists and antagonists were studied in rat brown adipocytes. The β-agonists stimulated both lipolysis and respiration (8-10 times above basal levels), with the following order of potency (concentration eliciting 50% of maximum response): CL-316243 (β3) > BRL-37344 (β3) > isoproterenol (mainly β1/β2) > norepinephrine (NE; mainly β1/β2) > epinephrine (mainly β1/β2) ≫ dobutamine (β1) ≫ procaterol (β2). Schild plot coefficients of competitive inhibition experiments using ICI-89406 (β1 antagonist) revealed that more than one type of receptor mediates NE action. It is concluded from our results that 1) NE, at low plasma levels (1-25 nM), stimulates lipolysis and respiration mainly through β1-ARs, 2) NE, at higher levels, stimulates lipolysis and respiration via both β1- and β3-ARs, 3) β2-ARs play only a minor role, and 4) β3-ARs may represent the physiological receptors for the high NE concentrations in the synaptic cleft, where the high-affinity β1-ARs are presumably desensitized. It is also suggested that lipolysis represents the flux-generating step regulating mitochondrial respiration.