Postheparin plasma triglyceride lipases in chronic hemodialysis: Evidence for a role for hepatic lipase in lipoprotein metabolism

Elevated plasma triglyceride levels frequently occur in patients with chronic renal failure receiving longterm hemodialysis. Postheparin plasma lipolytic activity, an indirect measure of triglyceride removal, is low in hemodialysis patients, but this activity measures both hepatic triglyceride lipase (HTGL) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL). To determine if HTGL and/or LPL are low in hemodialysis patients and related to lipoprotein lipid levels, both activities were measured by a selective antibody-inhibition technique in postheparin plasma from 20 hemodialysis patients with a wide range of plasma triglyceride levels ( 104–676 mg 100 ml ), and the relationships between the enzyme activities and lipoprotein lipid levels were examined. To more accurately compare subjects, the heparin doses were adjusted for the differences in plasma volumes between the hemodialysis patients and the nonuremic control subjects. Hemodialysis patients with elevated plasma triglyceride levels (↑TG) had HTGL levels (148 ± 67 nmole/min/ml, n=10) which were similar to the dialysis patients with normal triglyceride levels (nlTG) (134 ± 64 nmole/min/ml, n=10) and both groups were significantly lower ( p