The relationship between the basal lipolytic and lipoprotein lipase activities in human adipose tissue

The basal rate of lipolysis and basal lipoprotein lipase activity were determined in vitro in subcutaneous adipose tissue obtained from eight healthy non-obese subjects, ten obese subjects before and during one week's starvation, nine untreated non-insulin dependent diabetics and seven treated non-insulin dependent diabetics whose disease had been under metabolic control for at least three months. There was a negative correlation between the rate of lipolysis and activity of lipoprotein lipase in untreated diabetes mellitus and during starvation (r from -0.87 to -0.81). Under these two conditions the rate of lipolysis is increased and the lipoprotein lipase activity is decreased. There was no correlation between lipolysis and lipoprotein lipase in non-obese subjects, non-starving obese subjects and treated diabetic patients (r from 0.11 to 0.36). Thus, during starvation and in untreated diabetes, there is a strong reciprocal relationship between basal lipolytic activity and basal lipoprotein lipase activity in human adipose tissue which is not found under normal conditions or in obesity and well-controlled diabetes. It is concluded that a negative connection between lipolysis and lipoprotein lipase in human adipose tissue may be of physiological importance for the regulation of the energy balance in conditions such as untreated non-insulin dependent diabetes and starvation where adipose tissue lipids are the major source of energy.