Abstract
Abstract
Increasing numbers of patients request lipolytic injection therapy for aesthetic indications instead of surgical procedures. Deoxycholic acid (DC) with or without phosphatidylcholine (PC) is widely used to reduce localized fat accumulation and lipomas. DC induces inflammation and reduces the adipocytes by necrosis, and the usefulness is controversially debated.
After the principal fat degrading process of injection adipolysis (IL) is described, and the special feature of PPC from soybean is characterized, the article summarizes its specific role for the transport of fat from peripheral tissue over blood to the liver, its influence on the activity of fat degrading enzymes, and on mitochondrial functions in the consent of IL. The interrelation between a strong inflammation by too quick adipocyte necrosis and mitochondrial dysfunction is considered to lead to decreased ß-fatty acid oxidation, while PPC improves mitochondrial structure and functioning. Besides a regulating influence of PPC on DC induced increased inflammation and its consequences on patient’s symptoms, apoptosis of PPC on adipocytes is discussed as additional mode of action in IL. Finally, PPC reduces DC’s side-effect profile and potential toxicity.
It is concluded that DC leads to fat cell necrosis, and PPC regulates this inflammatory process and adds apoptosis as second mode of action in fat tissue. Additionally, PPC reduces the side-effect and toxicity profile of DC.