PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Changlu Liu
AU  - Chester Kuei
AU  - Jessica Zhu
AU  - Jingxue Yu
AU  - Li Zhang
AU  - Amy Shih
AU  - Taraneh Mirzadegan
AU  - Jonathan Shelton
AU  - Steven Sutton
AU  - Margery A. Connelly
AU  - Grace Lee
AU  - Nicholas Carruthers
AU  - Jiejun Wu
AU  - Timothy W. Lovenberg
TI  - 3,5-Dihydroxybenzoic Acid, a Specific Agonist for Hydroxycarboxylic Acid 1, Inhibits Lipolysis in Adipocytes
AID  - 10.1124/jpet.112.192799
DP  - 2012 Jun 01
TA  - Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
PG  - 794--801
VI  - 341
IP  - 3
4099  - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/341/3/794.short
4100  - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/341/3/794.full
SO  - J Pharmacol Exp Ther2012 Jun 01; 341
AB  - Niacin raises high-density lipoprotein and lowers low-density lipoprotein through the activation of the β-hydroxybutyrate receptor hydroxycarboxylic acid 2 (HCA2) (aka GPR109a) but with an unwanted side effect of cutaneous flushing caused by vascular dilation because of the stimulation of HCA2 receptors in Langerhans cells in skin. HCA1 (aka GPR81), predominantly expressed in adipocytes, was recently identified as a receptor for lactate. Activation of HCA1 in adipocytes by lactate results in the inhibition of lipolysis, suggesting that agonists for HCA1 may be useful for the treatment of dyslipidemia. Lactate is a metabolite of glucose, suggesting that HCA1 may also be involved in the regulation of glucose metabolism. The low potency of lactate to activate HCA1, coupled with its fast turnover rate in vivo, render it an inadequate tool for studying the biological role of lactate/HCA1 in vivo. In this article, we demonstrate the identification of 3-hydroxybenzoic acid (3-HBA) as an agonist for both HCA2 and HCA1, whereas 3,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (3,5-DHBA) is a specific agonist for only HCA1 (EC50 ∼150 μM). 3,5-DHBA inhibits lipolysis in wild-type mouse adipocytes but not in HCA1-deficient adipocytes. Therefore, 3,5-DHBA is a useful tool for the in vivo study of HCA1 function and offers a base for further HCA1 agonist design. Because 3-HBA and 3,5-DHBA are polyphenolic acids found in many natural products, such as fruits, berries, and coffee, it is intriguing to speculate that other heretofore undiscovered natural substances may have therapeutic benefits.