Corticotropin-induced reduction of plasma lipoprotein(a) concentrations in healthy individuals and hemodialysis patients: relation to apolipoprotein(a) size polymorphism
Author
Summary, in English
Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], a strong independent cardiovascular risk factor, consists of the unique apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)] covalently linked to a low-density lipoprotein particle. Apo(a) contains a widely differing number of the plasminogen-like kringle IV, a size polymorphism that is codominantly inherited. In addition to powerful genetic control, renal failure is known to influence the plasma Lp(a) concentration. There is still a lot to be learned about the mode and site of catabolism of Lp(a), and there is no readily applicable Lp(a)-lowering treatment available. Therefore, it was of interest to study further the Lp(a)-lowering effect of corticotropin (ACTH) that has been demonstrated in small studies. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of ACTH on different apo(a) isoforms. Short-term treatment with ACTH decreased the plasma Lp(a) concentration in all 26 study participants. The two study groups (12 healthy individuals and 14 hemodialysis patients) responded similarly, with a median decrease in plasma Lp(a) of 39% and 49%, respectively. In subjects with two clearly separable apo(a) bands, apo(a) phenotyping and densitometric scanning of the bands before and after treatment with ACTH revealed a change in the proportion of apo(a) isoforms, ie, a shift toward the isoform with lower molecular weight. This was observed in seven of nine investigated subjects (four of five healthy individuals and three of four hemodialysis patients).
Publishing year
1999
Language
English
Pages
342-346
Publication/Series
Metabolism, Clinical and Experimental
Volume
48
Issue
3
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Elsevier
Topic
- Cell and Molecular Biology
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 1532-8600