OBJECTIVE -Hepatic lipase plays a key role in hydrolyzing triglycerides and phospholipids present in circulating plasma lipoproteins. Plasma hepatic lipase activity is known to be regulated by several hormonal and metabolic factors, but hepatic lipase responsiveness to insulin is still controversial. Hypoadiponectinemia is known to be associated with insulin resistance, diabetes, and obesity. These conditions are often characterized by high plasma triglyceride and low HDL cholesterol levels, and they have been shown to be associated with high plasma hepatic lipase activity. We therefore raised the question whether adiponectin may be associated with plasma hepatic lipase activity in vivo.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS -We measured plasma adiponectin and postheparin hepatic lipase activity in 206 nondiabetic men and in a second group of 110 patients with type 2 diabetes. The correlation of these parameters with markers of insulin resistance and systemic inflammation was investigated.RESULTS -In nondiabetic patients, adiponectin levels were significantly inversely correlated with plasma hepatic lipase activity (r ϭ Ϫ0.4, P Ͻ 0.01). These results were confirmed in the group of patients with type 2 diabetes (r ϭ Ϫ0.32, P ϭ 0.004). Multivariate analysis revealed that adiponectin was the strongest factor influencing hepatic lipase activity. The association was independent of age, sex, BMI, plasma triglycerides, insulin, HDL cholesterol, and highsensitivity C-reactive protein and accounted for ϳ10 and 12% of the variation in hepatic lipase activity in the two different patient cohorts, respectively.CONCLUSIONS -These results demonstrate for the first time a significant inverse association between adiponectin and postheparin plasma hepatic lipase activity that is independent of other factors such as markers of insulin resistance or inflammation. Therefore, adiponectin, rather than insulin, may represent an important factor contributing to the regulation of hepatic lipase activity in both nondiabetic individuals and patients with type 2 diabetes. The effect of adiponectin on hepatic lipase activity may also help to explain the HDL cholesterol-elevating action of adiponectin.
Diabetes Care 28:2181-2186, 2005H epatic lipase functions as a lipolytic enzyme that hydrolyzes triglycerides and phospholipids in lipoproteins of intermediate and high density. It is thereby involved in the formation of small, dense LDL and represents a major determinant of the plasma HDL cholesterol concentration (1,2). Hepatic lipase activity is regulated by several hormonal and metabolic factors (3). In insulin resistance, most studies show increased hepatic lipase activity, although the exact regulation of hepatic lipase in insulin resistance is still controversial (4). Adiponectin is a member of a class of bioactive substances known as adipocytokines (5). It is related to tumor necrosis factor-␣ expression (6) and has the ability to suppress tumor necrosis factor-␣-induced activation of nuclear transcription factor B (7), thereby demonstrating anti...