Cholesterol in the plasma very low density lipoprotein fraction in patients with type III hyperlipoproteinemia: analysis of factors which modulate its concentration.
Anthropometric data, plasma lipoprotein lipid levels, and post-heparin lipoprotein lipase (PHLPL) activity were measured in nine patients with type III hyperlipoproteinemia (HLP) and two hypocholesterolemic subjects with the apo-E2/2 phenotype. Five type III HLP patients were treated with clofibrate. Log PHLPL activity was inversely correlated (r = -0.667, p less than 0.05) and age was positively correlated (r = 0.706, p less than 0.05) with cholesterol levels in the VLDL fraction of plasma from type III HLP patients. The correlation between log PHLPL and VLDL cholesterol levels remained significant when age was held constant in partial correlation analysis. Together age and log PHLPL activity accounted for 77% of individual variation in VLDL cholesterol levels in the type III patients. Clofibrate treatment raised PHLPL activity (+48%, p less than 0.05) and reduced the levels of VLDL cholesterol (-67%, P less than 0.05), VLDL triglycerides (-40%, P less than 0.02), and the ratio cholesterol/triglyceride in VLDL (-50%, P less than 0.05) in five type III HLP patients. Mean PHLPL activity was higher in the hypocholesterolemic subjects with the apo-E2/2 phenotype compared to the type III HLP patients. These results suggest that lipoprotein lipase activity and factors associated with age modulate the levels of abnormal and atherogenic remnant particles (beta-VLDL) in the VLDL plasma fraction of type III HLP patients.
Sutherland
W H
WH
Department of Medicine, University of Otago Medical School, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Janus
E D
ED
Nye
E R
ER
Grant
S
S
D000328:Adult; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D015243:Cholesterol, VLDL; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006952:Hyperlipoproteinemia Type III / Q000097:blood*; D008071:Lipoprotein Lipase / Q000097:blood; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D008079:Lipoproteins, VLDL / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D015243:Cholesterol, VLDL; D008074:Lipoproteins; D008079:Lipoproteins, VLDL; D002784:Cholesterol; D008071:Lipoprotein Lipase