Effects of intravenous heparin on oxidation of fat

Abstract

The intravenous injection of heparin to carbohydrate-fed rats results in an elevation of plasma free fatty acid levels and in a lowering of the respiratory quotient from 1.0 to 0.9. The injection of heparin simultaneously with palmitic acid-C14-labeled chylomicrons results in an elevation of the specific radioactivity of the expired CO2. These observations suggest that heparin causes an obligatory oxidation of fat, presumably through the release of free fatty acid from triglyceride.