Lipoprotein lipase release from cardiac myocytes is increased by decavanadate but not insulin

Streptozotocin-induced diabetes reduced cellular lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity in cardiac myocytes from rat hearts and decreased the heparin-induced release of LPL into the medium. This effect of diabetes was rapidly reversed by in vivo treatment with insulin (5 U iv for 1 h); administration of insulin in vivo to control rats also increased heparin-releasable LPL activity. In contrast, in vitro addition of insulin to control and diabetic myocytes did not alter either cellular or heparin-releasable LPL activities. Insulin stimulated glucose oxidation and protein synthesis in control and diabetic myocytes. Decavanadate (0.05-1 mM) or vanadyl ion (0.5 mM) enhanced the release of LPL into the medium. Heparin- and decavanadate-induced release of LPL was not additive, and heparin pretreatment reduced the subsequent release of LPL by decavanadate. Decavanadate displaced LPL bound to heparin-Sepharose and increased LPL release into the perfusate of hearts. Therefore, decavanadate can mimic heparin in its effect on LPL. The absence of a direct in vitro effect of insulin on LPL in cardiac myocytes suggests that insulin may require some other in vivo factor or that diabetes-induced changes in LPL activity are secondary to some other metabolic factor.