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The CPT1a inhibitor, etomoxir induces severe oxidative stress at commonly used concentrations
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

The CPT1a inhibitor, etomoxir induces severe oxidative stress at commonly used concentrations

Roddy S. O'Connor, Lili Guo, Saba Ghassemi, Nathaniel W. Snyder, Andrew J. Worth, Liwei Weng, Yoonseok Kam, Benjamin Philipson, Sophie Trefely, Selene Nunez-Cruz, …
Scientific reports, v 8(1), pp 6289-9
19 Apr 2018
PMID: 29674640
url
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-24676-6View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)CC BY V4.0 Open

Abstract

Multidisciplinary Sciences Science & Technology Science & Technology - Other Topics
Etomoxir (ETO) is a widely used small-molecule inhibitor of fatty acid oxidation (FAO) through its irreversible inhibitory effects on the carnitine palmitoyl-transferase la (CPT1a). We used this compound to evaluate the role of fatty acid oxidation in rapidly proliferating T cells following costimulation through the CD28 receptor. We show that ETO has a moderate effect on T cell proliferation with no observable effect on memory differentiation, but a marked effect on oxidative metabolism. We show that this oxidative metabolism is primarily dependent upon glutamine rather than FAO. Using an shRNA approach to reduce CPT1a in T cells, we further demonstrate that the inhibition of oxidative metabolism in T cells by ETO is independent of its effects on FAO at concentrations exceeding 5 mu M. Concentrations of ETO above 5 mu M induce acute production of ROS with associated evidence of severe oxidative stress in proliferating T cells. In aggregate, these data indicate that ETO lacks specificity for CTP1a above 5 mu M, and caution should be used when employing this compound for studies in cells due to its non-specific effects on oxidative metabolism and cellular redox.

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Immunology
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