Impact of interleukin-1ß antibody (canakinumab) on glycaemic indicators in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: results of secondary endpoints from a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: This study was conducted to determine the optimal monthly subcutaneous dose of canakinumab (a human monoclonal anti-human IL-1ß antibody) needed to improve glucose control in metformin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: This was a parallel-group, randomized, double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled study designed to assess the effect on HbA(1c) and the safety/tolerability of four monthly doses of canakinumab (5, 15, 50, or 150 mg) as an add-on to metformin over 4 months. RESULTS: Patients (n=551; mean age 54.1 years; mean baseline HbA(1c) 7.4%) were randomized and treated in a double-blind fashion to canakinumab 5 mg (n=93), 15 mg (n=95), 50 mg (n=92), 150 mg (n=92) or placebo (n=179) monthly. There was no dose response detected between active canakinumab doses, but all doses numerically lowered HbA(1c) (primary endpoint) from baseline between 0.19% and 0.31% (placebo-unadjusted), with maximal effect noted in the 50mg dose of canakinumab (-0.18% difference vs placebo; multiplicity-adjusted, P=0.13902) as reported earlier (Ridker et al., 2012). No other glycaemic control parameters (FPG, fasting insulin, plasma glucose AUC(0-4h), 2-h PPG, peak glucose, C-peptide AUC(0-4h), peak C-peptide, insulin AUC(0-4h), peak insulin, ISR(0-2h), HOMA-ß and HOMA-IR) showed any meaningful changes by canakinumab therapy. Canakinumab treatment was safe and well tolerated. There were no relevant differences in adverse events between the canakinumab and placebo groups. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: A 4-month course of monthly canakinumab (50 mg) produced a numerical reduction of HbA(1c) in T2DM patients on metformin, potentially by improving beta-cell function. The safety and tolerability profile of canakinumab was consistent with prior trials. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registry: http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov, Registration No.: NCT00900146.

Effect of anti-IL-1ß antibody (canakinumab) on insulin secretion rates in impaired glucose tolerance or type 2 diabetes: results of a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

AIMS: Evaluate anti-interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) antibody, canakinumab, in patients with type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in whom hyperglycaemia may trigger IL-1ß-associated inflammation leading to suppressed insulin secretion and ß-cell dysfunction. METHODS: This 4-week, parallel-group study randomized 190 patients with type 2 diabetes 2 : 1, canakinumab versus placebo, into the following treatment arms: metformin monotherapy, metformin + sulfonylurea, metformin + sulfonylurea + thiazolidinedione or insulin ± metformin. IGT population (n = 54) was randomized 1 : 1, canakinumab versus placebo. Primary efficacy assessment was change from baseline in insulin secretion rate (ISR) relative to glucose 0-2 h. RESULTS: Mean changes from baseline to week 4 in ISR relative to glucose at 0-2 h or other time points were not statistically significant for canakinumab versus placebo across groups. ISR (relative to glucose) at 0-0.5 h (first-phase insulin secretion) numerically favoured canakinumab versus placebo in insulin-treated patients {difference in mean change from baseline [point estimate (PE)] 3.81 pmol/min/m(2)/mmol/l; p = 0.0525} and in the IGT group (PE 3.92 pmol/min/m(2)/mmol/l; p = 0.1729). Mean change from baseline in fasting plasma glucose favoured canakinumab in the type 2 diabetes/metformin group and the IGT group; however, differences were not statistically significant. Mean change from baseline in peak insulin level and insulin AUC 0-4 h were statistically significantly higher in the canakinumab group in IGT patients. Canakinumab was well tolerated and consistent with known safety experience. CONCLUSIONS: The trend towards improving ISR relative to glucose 0-0.5 h in patients treated with insulin supports the hypothesis that insulin secretion can be improved by blocking IL-1ß.

Hepatic lipase and HDL metabolism.

Hepatic lipase is a lipolytic enzyme that has been suggested to have a role in HDL metabolism. Evidence suggests that HDL-cholesterol level is at least partly regulated by hepatic lipase level. Recent studies have shown that hepatic lipase not only hydrolyzes triglyceride and phospholipid in HDL, but also stimulates HDL cholesterol ester uptake by hepatocytes. Therefore, hepatic lipase, together with lipid transfer proteins, determines both HDL-cholesterol level and its function in reverse cholesterol transport. These conclusions are based on observations from in-vitro model substrate studies, cell culture studies, transgenic animal studies, and clinical studies. At present time, it is not known whether hepatic lipase action increases or decreases risk of developing atherosclerosis.

Cardiovascular effects of droloxifene, a new selective estrogen receptor modulator, in healthy postmenopausal women.

Selective estrogen receptor modulators, like tamoxifen and related compounds, have mixed estrogen agonistic/antagonistic effects. Tamoxifen may confer significant cardiovascular benefits without the estrogen-associated risks of endometrial and breast cancer. Droloxifene, a structural analogue of tamoxifen, has estrogen agonistic effects on bone and antagonistic effects on endometrial and breast tissue. Its cardiovascular effects in women are unknown. We enrolled 24 healthy postmenopausal women in a randomized, double-blind, 2-period crossover trial comparing the effects of droloxifene (60 mg/d) with conjugated estrogen (0.625 mg/d). Plasma lipids, coagulation and fibrinolytic factors, and brachial flow-mediated vasodilator responses were measured at the beginning and end of each treatment period. Droloxifene and estrogen resulted in 16.6% and 12.0% reductions, respectively, in low density lipoprotein cholesterol (P<0.001) and 13.2% and 9.5% reductions, respectively, in lipoprotein(a) (P<0.05). In contrast, estrogen, but not droloxifene, increased high density lipoprotein (18.5%, P<0.001). Droloxifene also reduced fibrinogen by 17.8% versus a 7.3% reduction with estrogen (P=0.004) but produced no estrogen-like changes in plasminogen, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, or tissue plasminogen activator. Droloxifene and estrogen produced 36.4% and 27.3% increases, respectively, in flow-mediated vasodilation (percent change from baseline, P<0.05 for both). Droloxifene has estrogen agonistic properties regarding low density lipoprotein and lipoprotein(a) metabolism, certain coagulation factors, and endothelium-dependent vasodilation but, unlike estrogen, has no effect on high density lipoprotein/triglyceride metabolism and the fibrinolytic cascade. It remains unknown whether droloxifene can confer a true cardiovascular benefit.

Tet offensive: winning hearts and minds for prevention. Discourse and ideology in Vietnam's "Health" Newspaper.

A quantitative content (CA) and qualitative discourse analysis (DA) was made of all 67 articles in the February 1995 ("Tet") issue of Suc Khoe ("Health"), a bi-weekly newspaper issued by Ministry of Health, Hanoi, Vietnam. The aim was to uncover discursive strategies used in the construction of health-related meaning during a period of rapid economic transition and latent ideological struggle in Vietnam. The DA was based on the work of i.a. Foucault, Fairclough, Thompson, and Fowler. The CA showed a strong domination of Western sources. There were four themes: prevention, cure, the Tet festival, and crime and punishment. In the two first, health-related groups, prevention (n = 31) dominated over cure (n = 22), modern (n = 19) over traditional (n = 13) medicine, and overall, the theme of continuity (prevention and crime/punishment) over change (cure and Tet), reflecting Vietnam's programmatic pluralism in the health field and its ideological struggle against outside influences. The DA revealed three mixed but unintegrated discourses in the material; "popular" (simplistic, authoritarian, and sentimentalizing), "expert" (technical, egalitarian, and uncritical), and "nationalist" (administrative, impersonal and propagandistic). Prevention was mainly expressed via the popular discourse, whereas cure was represented, prospectively, by the expert discourse, and retrospectively, by the nationalist discourse. This combined order of discourse functions, we suggest, as a disciplinary "Discourses of Order". A proposed integrative CA/DA model relates content themes and discursive foci to the classical rhetorical dichotomy hope/fear. We see "Health" as struggling to uphold traditional besieged values under the new economic policies by using preventive propaganda in both medical and political terms. These findings are compared with expressed editorial policy statements.

Hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine by hepatic lipase in discoidal and spheroidal recombinant high-density lipoprotein.

Hepatic lipase (HL) hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) was studied in recombinant high-density lipoprotein particles (r-HDL). r-HDL were made from cholate mixed micelles that contained PC, apo AI, and, in some cases, unesterified cholesterol. r-HDL were characterized using chemical composition, nondenaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, transmission electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering. The r-HDL were found to be discoidal and in the size range of native HDL. Upon treatment of cholesterol-containing r-HDL with lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), to form cholesteryl ester, the discoidal r-HDL became spheroidal. The effects of r-HDL morphology and size on HL activity were studied on r-HDL made of palmitoyloleoyl-PC, unesterified cholesterol, cholesteryl ester, and apolipoprotein AI. Spheroidal r-HDL were hydrolyzed at a faster rate than discoidal r-HDL. Protein-poor r-HDL were hydrolyzed by HL at a faster rate than protein rich r-HDL. Unesterified cholesterol had no apparent effect on particle PC hydrolysis. The hydrolysis of different species of PC [dipalmitoyl (DPPC), dioleoyl(DOPC), palmitoylarachidonoyl (PAPC), and palmitoyloleoyl (POPC)] in r-HDL was also investigated. In discoidal r-HDL, we found that POPC >/= DOPC = PAPC/DPPC. However, in LCAT-treated spheroidal r-HDL, POPC = DOPC > PAPC/DPPC. In both discoidal and spheroidal rHDL, DPPC containing r-HDL were not hydrolyzed to a significant extent. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that the physico-chemical properties of particles (such as phospholipid packing and phospholipid acyl composition) play a significant role in hydrolysis of HDL phospholipid by HL and, therefore, in reverse cholesterol transport.

Biosynthetic conversion of phosphatidylglycerol to sn-1:sn-1' bis(monoacylglycerol) phosphate in a macrophage-like cell line.

Bis(monoacylglycerol) phosphate has a unique stereoconfiguration of sn-glycero-1-phospho-1'-sn-glycerol and is synthesized from exogenous phosphatidylglycerol by macrophages. Previous work by our laboratory showed that the macrophage-like cell line RAW 264.7 synthesizes sn-glycero-1-phospho-1'-sn-glycerol bis(monoacylglycerol) phosphate. Here we describe studies using RAW 264.7 cells that examine the biosynthetic pathway by which bis(monoacylglycerol) phosphate is formed. Experiments were conducted using precursors that were specifically radiolabeled on the glycerol backbone in order to examine the stereoconfiguration of the intermediates and products formed in intact RAW 264.7 cells. The results of our studies indicate that a complex series of reactions are involved in the synthesis of bis(monoacylglycerol) phosphate. In this proposed pathway phosphatidylglycerol is hydrolyzed to form 1-acyllysophosphatidylglycerol which is then acylated on the headgroup glycerol to form the sn-glycero-1-phospho-1'-sn-glycerol enantiomer of bis(monoacylglycerol) phosphate. The sn-glycero-1-phospho-1'-sn-glycerol enantiomer of bis(monoacylglycerol) phosphate is then thought to undergo a stereoconversion that proceeds via the required removal of the acyl group at the sn-1 position. The resulting sn-glycero-1-phospho-1'-sn-glycerol enantiomer of lysophosphatidylglycerol with the acyl moiety on the original headgroup glycerol is then acylated to form sn-glycero-1-phospho-1'-sn-glycerol bis(monoacylglycerol) phosphate.

Lipoprotein lipase domain function.

Human lipoprotein lipase (LPL) monomer consists of two domains, a larger NH2-terminal domain that contains catalytic residues and a smaller COOH-terminal domain that modulates substrate specificity and is a major determinant of heparin binding. Analyses of NH2-terminal domain function were performed after site-directed mutagenesis of the putative active-site serine residue, while COOH-terminal domain function was assessed following reaction with a monoclonal antibody. The native enzyme and mutant LPL in which serine 132 was replaced with alanine, cysteine, or glycine were transiently expressed in COS-7 cells. Mutant proteins were synthesized and secreted at levels comparable to native LPL; however, none of the mutants retained enzymatic activity. The mutant with alanine replacing serine 132 was purified and shown to be inactive with both esterase and lipase substrates; however, binding to a 1,2-didodecanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine monolayer was comparable to native LPL. These results are consistent with a catalytic, and not a lipid binding, role for serine 132. To investigate the function of the smaller COOH-terminal domain, LPL lipolytic and esterolytic activities as well as heparin binding properties were determined after reaction with a monoclonal antibody specific for this domain. Lipolytic activity was inhibited by the monoclonal antibody, whereas esterolytic activity was only marginally affected, indicating that the LPL COOH-terminal domain is required for lipolysis, perhaps by promoting interaction with insoluble substrates. Also, the affinity of antibody-reacted LPL for heparin was not significantly different from that of LPL alone, suggesting that (i) the heparin-binding site is physically distinct from the COOH-terminal domain region required for lipolysis and (ii) binding of antibody did not cause dimer dissociation. A model is proposed for the two LPL domains fulfilling different roles in the lipolytic process.

Regulation of rat hepatic lipase by the composition of monomolecular films of lipid.

The regulation of hepatic lipase (HL) by the lipid composition of monomolecular substrate films was examined using a monolayer technique at constant surface pressure. HL-catalyzed hydrolysis of triacylglycerol, a poor substrate for HL in pure monomolecular films, was activated by diradylglycerol and its phosphorylated derivatives in mixed films containing 10 mol % triacylglycerol. When triacylglycerol was progressively diluted with dialkylglycerol, triacylglycerol hydrolysis by HL was maximal between 90 and 98 mol % dialkylglycerol. The best activators, dialkylphosphatidic acid and dialkylphosphatidylethanolamine, increased triacylglycerol hydrolysis 13-14-fold, and the enhancement of HL-catalyzed triacylglycerol hydrolysis by the activator lipids was inversely related to the average mean molecular area of the mixed films. The hydrolysis of 5 mol % triacylglycerol in mixed films that also contained phosphatidylcholine and 0-20 mol % cholesterol was inhibited approximately 80% when the concentration of cholesterol was 10-13 mol %. Interestingly, between 15 and 17 mol % cholesterol the hydrolysis rate was restored to about 50% of the uninhibited rate, but at 20 mol % cholesterol this value decreased back to 80% inhibition of hydrolysis. The hydrolysis of phosphatidylethanolamine in mixed films with 0-20 mol % cholesterol decreased approximately 30% in films containing 10-12 mol % cholesterol. However, at 15 mol % cholesterol the hydrolysis rate was restored to the same level observed for a pure phosphatidylethanolamine film. This enhancement of HL activity occurred at about the same cholesterol concentration as the restoration of triacylglycerol hydrolysis observed for the triacylglycerol/phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol films.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Decreased binding of apoA-I to phosphatidylcholine monolayers containing 22:6 n-3 in the sn-2 position.

Previous studies have shown that dietary fish oil can modify the distribution and fatty acyl composition of plasma phospholipids. Although it is known that the type of phospholipid can affect the binding of apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), little is known about the effect of n-3 fatty acid enrichment in phospholipids on apoA-I binding. We hypothesize that phosphatidylcholine (PC) surfaces containing n-3 fatty acids at the sn-2 position bind apoA-I less avidly than those containing sn-2 18:1. PC species containing sn-1 16:0 and sn-2 18:1 (POPC), sn-2 20:5 n-3 (PEPC), or sn-2 22:6 n-3 (PDPC) were used in apoA-I monolayer binding studies. The molecular surface area at any given surface pressure (tau) was ordered: PDPC > PEPC > POPC and at tau = 25 mN/m the molecular surface areas were 86.2, 78.8 and 72 A 2/molecule, respectively. Binding of [14C]apoA-I (radiolabeled by reductive methylation) to PDPC at tau i = 15 mN/m was less than that for POPC whether expressed as nmol A-I/m2 surface or molecules A-I/1000 PC. The apparent Kd for steady state apoA-I binding to PEPC (2.1 nM) and PDPC (2.2 nM) was greater than that for POPC (1.2 nM); the maximum binding capacity (nmol/m2) was ordered PEPC (9.4) > POPC (8.1) > PDPC (6.7). Similar results were found when a fixed amount of apoA-I was injected beneath the PC monolayers equilibrated at different initial surface pressures. The calculated surface area available for bound apoA-I was 15, 17, and 23 A 2/amino acid for POPC, PEPC, and PDPC at tau i = 15 mN/m, respectively. We conclude that the binding affinity of apoA-I for PDPC and PEPC is less than that for POPC and that apoA-I bound to PDPC is more loosely folded than that to POPC. These studies suggest that the type of sn-2 fatty acid can influence apoA-I binding to PC.

Action of lysosomal phospholipase A1 on bis(monoacylglycerol)phosphate.

Bis(monoacylglycerol)phosphate (BMP) in macrophages is known to rapidly turn over its acyl moiety(s) located at primary positions of the glycerols, yet the glycerols and phosphate remain stable within the BMP molecule. Here we examine whether the phospholipase A1 isolated from rat-liver lysosomes is capable of deacylating BMP. By comparison with the precursor of BMP, phosphatidylglycerol, BMP is a very poor substrate for the phospholipase A1. We conclude, therefore, that a direct deacylation of the acyl groups at the primary alcohol level of the glycerol probably does not occur, but postulate that transacylations may occur to account for the removal of the acyl moiety.

Inhibition of lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase activity by synthetic phosphatidylcholine species containing eicosapentaenoic acid or docosahexaenoic acid in the sn-2 position.

Phospholipids isolated from the plasma of monkeys fed a diet enriched in fish oil were poor substrates for cholesteryl ester (CE) synthesis by the lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) reaction relative to those from animals fed a lard containing diet when the phospholipids were used for the preparation of recombinant particles by cholate dialysis (Parks, J. S., B. C. Bullock, and L. L. Rudel. 1989. J. Biol. Chem. 264: 2545-2551). The purpose of the present study was to directly test the influence of eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5 n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6 n-3) in the sn-2 position of phosphatidylcholine (PC) on the activity of LCAT. PC species containing 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl PC (POPC), 1-palmitoyl-2-linoleoyl PC (PLPC), 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl PC (PAPC), 1-palmitoyl-2-eicosapentaenoyl PC (PEPC), or 1-palmitoyl-2-docosahexaenoyl PC (PDPC) were purchased or synthesized and made into recombinant particles of uniform size and composition with [14C]cholesterol and apoA-I using the cholate dialysis procedure. The recombinant particles (PC:cholesterol:apoA-I molar ratio = 42:1.9:1) exhibited the following order of reactivity towards purified human LCAT in vitro: POPC greater than PLPC greater than PEPC = PAPC greater than PDPC. The apparent Vmax/Km for recombinant particles containing PEPC and PDPC was 17% and 7% that of particles containing POPC, respectively. There was a linear decrease in CE formation when the percentage of PEPC or PDPC was increased from 0 to 100% relative to POPC in recombinant particles with a constant PC:cholesterol:apoA-I molar ratio, suggesting that the PEPC and PDPC were competitive inhibitors of the LCAT reaction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Role of apolipoprotein E in hepatic lipase catalyzed hydrolysis of phospholipid in high-density lipoproteins.

We reported earlier that hepatic lipase (HL)-catalyzed hydrolysis of phospholipid monolayers is activated by apolipoprotein (apo) E [Thuren et al. (1991b) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 4853-4861]. On the basis of these studies, it was postulated that apoE-rich high-density lipoproteins (HDL) were preferred substrates for HL. In the present study, we tested this hypothesis, as well as further characterizing the activation of HL hydrolysis of phospholipid by apoE. The apoE-rich HDL, referred to as HDL-I, were isolated by heparin-Sepharose chromatography, and the phospholipid hydrolysis by HL was compared to an apoE-poor HDL, designated HDL-II. The hydrolysis of HDL-I phosphatidylcholine was approximately 3-fold higher than HDL-II, supporting the hypothesis that HL preferably hydrolyzes the phospholipids in apoE-rich HDL. In order to gain additional insight into the nature of the activation, we used phospholipid monolayers as model systems. Comparison of the ability of the two thrombolytic fragments of apoE (22 kDa, residues 1-191; 12 kDa, residues 192-299) revealed that only the 12-kDa fragment was capable of activating the hydrolysis of phospholipid by HL (1.75-fold). However, activation was less than with the intact protein (2.8-fold for apoE3), suggesting that the intact protein was required for full activation. The fact that the 12-kDa fragment, which represents a major lipid region of the protein, did activate HL suggests that activation occurs at the lipid-water interface.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Characterization of cellular and elevated serum phospholipase A2 activities with a comparison of two methods.

The phospholipase A assay of Hoffmann et al based on the enzymatic photometric determination of the fatty acids liberated from soy-bean phospholipids was compared with the fluorometric assay of Thurén et al. where a synthetic pyrene-labelled substrate is used. Sera from patients with suspected pancreatitis or sepsis were studied. High values compared well while the Hoffmann method was not sensitive enough to detect slightly elevated values in sera from patients with suspected pancreatitis. The phospholipase A2 activities from enzymes purified from human duodenal juice, human sera from patients with sepsis and rat liver mitochondria were characterized in regard to activity towards several synthetic pyrene-labelled substrates, activation by Ca2+ and inhibition by Sr2+ and Mg2+. The enzyme from serum was distinctly different from both the pancreatic secretory and the mitochondrial ones, both in its substrate specificity pattern and in being most strongly inhibited by Mg2+.

A continuous fluorometric assay for phospholipase C from Clostridium perfringens.

A fluorescent assay for Clostridium perfringens phospholipase C is described using 1-palmitoyl-2-[6(pyren-1-yl)hexanoyl]-sn-glycero-3- phospho-N-(trinitrophenyl)aminoethanol (PPHTE) as the substrate. This method is based on the decrease of the quenching of pyrene monomer fluorescence when phospholipase C hydrolyzes PPHTE into pyrenediglyceride and phospho(trinitrophenyl)-aminoethanol. The hydrolysis of egg lecithin/PPHTE (25:1 molar ratio) substrate by C. perfringens phospholipase C was linear with time for at least 2 min. Optimal conditions for the hydrolysis by phospholipase C were 50 mM Tris-HCl pH 7.0-30 mM CaCl2/63 microM egg lecithin and 2.5 microM PPHTE. The Km and Vmax values for the hydrolysis of egg lecithin/PPHTE vesicles were 28 microM and 280 pmol min-1, respectively. The detection limit of the assay was 40 microU of C. perfringens phospholipase C. When diglyceride was included into egg lecithin/PPHTE vesicles up to 30 mol% the reaction velocity increased 13-fold. Higher molar proportions of diglyceride were inhibitory. When the hydrolysis of mixtures of different naturally occurring phospholipids and PPHTE was studied egg lecithin was found to be the best substrate. When dipalmitoylphospholipids with different polar head groups were used the reaction velocity decreased in the order egg lecithin greater than or equal to dipalmitoylphosphatidylserine greater than dipalmitoylphosphatidic acid greater than dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine greater than dipalmitoylphosphatidylglycerol.

Activation of hepatic lipase catalyzed phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis by apolipoprotein E.

The effect of apolipoproteins A-I, A-II, C-II, C-III and E on the hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine and triacylglycerol by hepatic lipase was studied. Hepatic lipase catalyzed phospholipid hydrolysis was 1.8-fold activated by apolipoprotein E while the other apolipoproteins did not affect the hydrolysis by this enzyme. Triacylglycerol hydrolysis by hepatic lipase was 1.5-fold activated by apolipoprotein E while the other apolipoproteins inhibited hepatic lipase. These results suggest that lipoproteins containing apolipoprotein E may be preferred substrates for hepatic lipase.

Glycerol reorientation during the conversion of phosphatidylglycerol to bis(monoacylglycerol)phosphate in macrophage-like RAW 264.7 cells.

Bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate (BMP) has the unique stereoconfiguration of 3-acyl-sn-glycero-1-phosphoryl-1'-sn-[3'-acylglycerol] (Brotherus, J., Renkonen, O., Herrmann, J., and Fischer, W. (1974) Chem. Phys. Lipids 13, 178-182) which differs from other known mammalian phospholipids that have the sn-glycero-3-phosphoryl configuration. This stereochemistry may contribute to its physiologic function. Here we describe studies using the macrophage-like cell line RAW 264.7 designed to determined how this unique stereoconfiguration occurs. These studies show that the stereoconfiguration of BMP produced from exogenous phosphatidylglycerol (PG) by RAW 264.7 cells has the expected stereoconfiguration of 3-acyl-sn-glycero-1-phosphoryl-1'-sn-[3'-acylglycerol]. Experiments using diacyl-sn-[2-3H]glycero-3-phosphoryl-sn-1'-[2-3H]glycerol demonstrate that this unique stereoconfiguration is not produced due to an oxidation/reduction mechanism involving the sn-2-glycerol carbon. When dioleoyl-sn-[1-14C]glycero-3-phosphoryl-rac-glycerol was converted to 14C-labeled BMP, the 14C label was found esterified to the phosphate moiety. These results suggest that a stereospecific enzyme is capable of reorienting the radiolabeled glycerol backbone of this PG substrate, effectively changing the stereochemistry of the lipid. We also show that this enzyme is stereoselective with regard to the base glycerol moiety of the substrate PG used. Finally, we propose a new pathway for the synthesis of BMP from PG.

Hydrolysis of neutral lipid substrates by rat hepatic lipase.

Rat hepatic lipase, an enzyme whose involvement in the catabolism of lipoproteins remains poorly defined, has both neutral lipid and phospholipid hydrolyzing activity. We determined the substrate specificity of hepatic lipase for 1-oleoyl-sn-glycerol, 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol, and 1,3-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol in the Triton X-100 mixed micellar state, and compared these results to those obtained previously in our laboratory for the phospholipid substrates phosphatidic acid (PA), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and phosphatidylcholine (PC). Vmax values were determined by diluting the substrate concentration in the surface of the micelle by Triton X-100. The Vmax values obtained were 144 mumol/min/mg for 1-oleoyl-sn-glycerol, 163 mumol/min/mg for 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol, and 145 mumol/min/mg for 1,3-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol. These values were higher than those obtained earlier for phospholipids which were 67 mumol/min/mg for PA, 50 mumol/min/mg for PE and 4 mumol/min/mg for PC. In addition, the mole fraction of lipid substrate at half maximal velocity (K) in the surface dilution plot was lower for the neutral lipid substrates as compared to those obtained for the phospholipid substrates. When the hydrolysis of 1,3-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol mixed micelles was studied as a function of time, cleavage at the sn-1 and sn-3 positions occurred at the same rate, suggesting that hepatic lipase is not stereoselective with respect to 1,3-diacyl-sn-glycerol substrates.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Hepatic lipase hydrolysis of lipid monolayers. Regulation by apolipoproteins.

A monolayer technique was used to study the substrate specificity of hepatic lipase (HL) and the effect of surface pressure and apolipoproteins on hydrolysis of lipid monolayers by this enzyme. HL hydrolyzed readily phosphatidylethanolamine monolayers. Pure trioctanoylglycerol was found to be a poor substrate but when progressively diluted with nonhydrolyzable 1,2-didodecanoylphosphatidylcholine hydrolysis of triacylglycerol by HL reached maximum at a molar ratio of 1:1 triacylglycerol to phosphatidylcholine. The activation of triacylglycerol hydrolysis was not due to altered penetration of HL. The surface pressure optimum of HL for the hydrolysis of phosphatidylethanolamine monolayers was broad between 12.5 and 25 mN/m. When apolipoprotein E was injected beneath the monolayer of phosphatidylethanolamine prior to enzyme addition, a 3-fold activation of HL was observed at surface pressures equal to or below 15 mN/m. Below surface pressures of 20 mN/m apolipoprotein E did not affect the penetration of HL into the lipid-water interface. Apolipoprotein E slightly activated the hydrolysis of triacylglycerol by HL at 10 mN/m. At a high surface pressure of 25 mN/m all apolipoproteins tested (apolipoproteins A-I, A-II, C-I, C-II, C-III, and E) inhibited the penetration into and HL activity on phosphatidylethanolamine At 18.5 mN/m all apolipoproteins except apolipoprotein E inhibited the hydrolysis of triacylglycerol in the triacylglycerol:phosphatidylcholine mixed film. Based on these results we present a hypothesis that phospholipid present in apolipoprotein E-rich high density lipoprotein-1 and triacylglycerol in intermediate density lipoprotein would be preferred substrates for HL.