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Association between serum lipoprotein lipase mass concentration and subcutaneous fat accumulation during neonatal

K Yoshikawa1, T Okada, S Munakata

  • 1Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
|March 4, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Serum Lipoprotein Lipase (LPLm) and Insulin-like Growth Factor-I (IGF-I) significantly influence neonatal subcutaneous fat growth. These factors are crucial for rapid fat accumulation and may aid catch-up growth in low birth weight infants.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal physiology
  • Endocrinology
  • Metabolic research

Background:

  • Subcutaneous adipose tissue undergoes rapid growth in early infancy.
  • Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is key for fat accumulation, while insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) drives neonatal growth.
  • Serum LPL mass (LPLm) reflects LPL-mediated lipolysis of plasma triacylglycerol (TG).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of serum LPLm and IGF-I on neonatal subcutaneous fat accumulation.
  • To explore their role in catch-up growth for low birth weight infants.

Main Methods:

  • Study included 47 healthy neonates (7 small for gestational age).
  • Serum LPLm and IGF-I concentrations were measured at birth and 1 month.
  • Associations with subcutaneous fat accumulation (skinfold thickness) were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Serum LPLm and IGF-I increased significantly in the first month.
  • Both correlated positively with skinfold thickness at birth and 1 month.
  • LPLm inversely correlated with very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)-TG levels.
  • Lower birth weight Z-scores were associated with increased postnatal LPLm changes.

Conclusions:

  • Serum LPLm and IGF-I are critical determinants of fetal and neonatal subcutaneous fat accumulation.
  • LPL-mediated VLDL-TG lipolysis is a primary mechanism for rapid fat growth.
  • LPL and IGF-I may promote catch-up growth in smaller neonates.
Abstract

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