Detailed analysis of lipolytic enzymes in a Japanese woman of familial lipoprotein lipase deficiency - Effects of pemafibrate treatment

Abstract

Background: We present here a 72-y-old Japanese woman with lipoprotein lipase (LPL) deficiency and analyzed her lipolytic enzymes in detail before and after pemafibrate treatment.

Methods: She had a serum triglycerides (TG) of 22.6 mmol/l at a medical checkup at the age of 52 y. She was referred to our hospital at the age of 61 y. Her serum lipoprotein lipase (LPL) concentration was extremely low, suggesting the clinical diagnosis of LPL deficiency. She experienced an event of acute pancreatitis at the age of 65 y.

Results: Next-generation sequencing analysis revealed a homozygous nonsense mutation in the LPL gene, c.1277G > A (p.Trp409Ter). Her serum TG, LPL and hepatic lipase (HL) concentrations were 15.0 mmol/l, 23 ng/ml and 66 ng/ml, respectively. Fifteen minutes after intravenous heparin injection (30 U/kg), her serum TG, LPL and HL concentrations turned to 14.1 mmol/l, 20 ng/ml and 660 ng/ml, respectively. Eight weeks of pemafibrate treatment (0.2 mg/day) caused a modest reductions in serum TG (15.02 → 13.58 mmol/l) and considerable increases in preheparin HL (66 → 76 ng/ml) and PHP-HL (660 → 1118 ng/ml) concentrations and PHP-HL activities (253 → 369U/l) despite almost no effect on LPL concentrations and activities.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that HL may contribute to the reduction of plasma TG in LPL deficiency.

Keywords: Endothelial lipase; GPIHBP1; Hepatic lipase; Lipoprotein lipase deficiency; Pemafibrate.