Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is a common metabolic disease. Atherosclerosis being a risk factor is promoted by decreased LPL activity which leads to elevated TG levels and reduced high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), both risk factors for the development of coronary artery disease (CAD).

So we studied the Lipoprotein lipase levels in patients with Coronary Artery Disease and in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and comparing it with non diabetic individuals.

Objective: To determine Lipoprotein lipase levels in patients with Coronary Artery Disease with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Methodology: We conducted a hospital based comparative cross sectional study by dividing the patients into three groups. We compared the lipoprotein lipase levels in controls and in patients with diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease.

Results: The mean lipoprotein lipase levels in controls were 46.2 but in patients with diabetes mellitus the mean lipoprotein lipase levels were reduced to 27.5 and in patients with diabetes and coronary artery disease it was further reduced to 17.5 with p value <0.001 which is statistically significant.

Conclusion: Reduced levels of lipoprotein lipase levels were seen in patients with coronary artery disease establishing the possible role of lipoprotein lipase in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

Keywords: Lipoprotein lipase level (LPL), Diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease.

1. Goldberg IJ, Merkel M. Lipoprotein lipase: physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology. Front Biosci. 2001;6:D388–D405.
2. Beisiegel U, Weber W, Bengtsson-Olivecrona G. Lipoprotein lipase enhances the binding of chylomicrons to low density lipoprotein receptor related protein. ProcNatl Acad Sci U S A. 1991;88:8342– 8346.
3. Hitsumoto T, Yoshinaga K, Aoyagi K, Sakurai T, Kanai M, Uchi T,Noike H, Ohsawa H, Watanabe H, Shirai K. Association between preheparinserum lipoprotein lipase mass and acute myocardial infarction in Japanese men. J Atherosclerosis. 2002;9:163–169.
4. Dugi KA, Schmidt N, Brandauer K, Ramacher D, Fiehn W, Kreuzer J.Activity and concentration of lipoprotein lipase in post-heparin plasmaand the extent of coronary artery disease. Atherosclerosis. 2002;163:127–134.
5. Henderson HE, Kastelein JJ, Zwinderman AH, Gagne E, Jukema JW,Reymer PW, Groenemeyer BE, Lie KI, Bruschke AV, Hayden MR,Jansen H. Lipoprotein lipase activity is decreased in a large cohort of patients with coronary artery disease and is associated with changes inlipids and lipoproteins. J Lipid Res. 1999;40:735–743
6. Gordon DJ, Probstfield JL, Garrison RJ, Neaton JD, Castelli WP, Knoke JD et al, High-density lipoprotein cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. Four prospective American studies. Circulation 1989 Jan1;79(1):8-15.
7. Camont L, Chapman MJ, Kontush A. Biological activities of HDL subpopulations and their relevance to cardiovascular disease. Trends in molecular medicine. 2011 Oct 31;17(10):594-603.
8. Tian L, Fu M. The relationship between high density lipoprotein subclass profile and plasma lipids concentrations. Lipids in health and disease. 2010 Oct 17;9(1):118
9. Natarajan P, Ray KK, Cannon CP. High-density lipoprotein and coronary heart disease: current and future therapies. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2010Mar 30;55(13):1283-99.
10. Pirillo A, Norata GD, Catapano AL. High-density lipoprotein subfractions-what the clinicians need to know. Cardiology. 2013;124(2):116-25.
11. Xu RX, Zhang Y, Ye P, Chen H, Li YF, Hua Q et al. Analysis of lipoprotein subfractions in Chinese Han patients with stable coronary artery disease. Heart, Lung and Circulation. 2015 Dec 31;24(12):1203-10.
12. Huttunen, J. K., C. Ehnholm, M. Kekki, and E. A. Nikkila. 1976.Post-heparin plasma lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase in normalsubjects and in patients with hypertriglyceridaemia: correlations to sex, age and various parameters of triglyceride metabolism. Clin. Sci. Mol. Med. 50: 249–260.

Dr Biju D.R

PG Resident, Department of General Medicine, Sri Manakula Vinayagar Medical College and Hospital, Puducherry-605107, India